Broken Glasses
by DrarryTLA
Summary: Albus Potter vows to befriend Scorpius Malfoy after their first meeting in Madam Malkin's. However, when the blonde refuses to accept him, Albus grows more determined. Will he be able to save Scorpius from the dark secret that comes between them? SLASH.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**This is a non-profit fiction created from my own mind. J.K. Rowling developed all of the original _Harry Potter_ characters and I'm simply adding a few OCs. Ages and dates may also be different from Rowling's original work... Please enjoy!

**NOTE:**** I know that this is NOT one the stories I should be working on, but I'm tired of you guys having nothing new to read... So I've decided to post this story earlier than I meant to in order to be an active author. And sadly, I've got bad news: my USB key with all the stories like **_**Kissing You, New Directions, **_**etc. has **DIED**. I am currently in the process of recovering the stories; however, until then, I apologize for any anger or grief this may have/has caused. **

**The good news is that this story was due to be posted AFTER I completed one or two of my current ones, so it has four chapters finished already! (I'll be able to update regularly until I can get my old stories back or just decide to start the new chapters from scratch!)**

**I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING **_**KISSING YOU **_**and **_**NEW DIRECTIONS! **_**But please bear with me... **

_**Broken Glasses: Prologue**_

"Albus, slow down son," the former Chosen One chuckled as he was dragged through Diagon Alley at top speed by his middle child. The eleven year-old would definitely take after him in the strength department, Harry Potter thought with another chuckle. Well, he had actually taken after Harry more than his oldest son, James, had. James had dark chocolate hair and hazel eyes while Albus was nearly the spitting image of Harry, only missing the glasses and scar. Ginny often joked that he was becoming more like Harry with every passing day.

"Dad, hurry or we'll be late!" Albus said ignoring his father's complaints to slow down. In Albus's opinion, they were not moving fast enough.

"Madam Malkin will not close shop until we've seen her, I assure you," Harry laughed. Albus had received his first Hogwart's letter the day before and was immediately eager to get fitted for his school robes. And since James was two years older than Albus, his old robes were no good, and Ginny had insisted that her child have his own set of new robes. She still remembered all the leftover robes her family had been through at the Burrow. _Her_ children would be able to have their own belongings... And well, James had been much taller than Albus was now. He had inherited the Weasley height and build. Albus would probably be shorter, like his old man.

Harry allowed his son to pull him through the crowded street, passing all of his son's favorite shops until suddenly stopping before _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occassions! _"We're here!" the boy shouted, his emerald eyes lighting up even more as he watched all of the other young witches and wizards inside who needed school robes just like him.

"What are we waiting for then?" Harry laughed. "Get a move on. Mom will be angry if we're late for lunch." Albus smiled the biggest smile Harry had ever seen on his young face and dragged him inside.

Harry watched in amusement as Albus ran his hands over all the robes in the Hogwart's section as they passed on their way to the back of the shop. Madam Malkin would no doubt be there taking measurements already. The shop was rather busy that day. It was good that Kingsley had given Harry the entire day off, or else Albus might have to get his robes another time. Upon reaching the back of the shop, Harry noticed that each fitting station was occupied. Madam Malkin was bouncing from each patron to the next, her grey hair falling loose of her usual braid. Her olive eyes found Harry as she finished with a young girl who looked like the spitting image of Padma Patil- well, Harry supposed it was Thomas now. He waved over at his former classmate as she retrieved her daughter.

"Harry Potter!" Madam Malkin exclaimed as she bustled over to him and Albus. "Welcome to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occassions!" She motioned over to the station Padma's daughter had just vacated. "I've just had an opening!"

Harry smiled. "Good morning, Madam Malkin. We've not waited long. Isn't there someone here before us?" Harry would never be comfortable with people going out of their way for him. The war was over now and had been for twenty years. He was just an Auror now. Just Harry.

"They're all returning customers. No fittings needed!" Madam Malkin smiled after glancing around her shop. Then she noticed the excited boy next to Harry. "You must be Albus! Hello, dear!" She looked up at Harry. "The spitting image of his father, too! I feel like it was only yesterday that you came in for _your_ first robes." Harry smiled in return. He remebered the experience all too well. It had been the day he met Draco Malfoy, the second person he had ever met from the Wizarding World. He was pulled from his reverie when Albus spoke up.

"Hello!" Albus exclaimed. He moved forward to embrace the older witch.

She laughed in delight and hugged back. "You and James certainly do have a way of greeting little old ladies like me!" she grabbed Albus's hand. "Follow me, little one."

Harry laughed as Albus bristled at being called little. James usually picked on his younger brother by calling him 'little' at home. Albus hated that he would probably be shorter than his older brother forever. "Tell Madam Malkin why we're here," Harry instructed as he patted his son's unruly black hair.

"Hogwarts!" Albus all but shouted as he jumped up on the offered stool. Madam Malkin chuckled and bent next to the stool to pick up a roll of measuring tape. She used her wand to animate the tape and it began to fly around Albus every which way.

"I'll be back just as soon as I help little Finnegan over there," Madam Malkin smiled as she left the measuring tape to its work. Harry watched as she went to the station three people over and patted the head of a pale boy with sandy hair that stuck up at odd angles. She took the measuring tape that was floating next to him and asked him to turn around. When he did, Harry couldn't help but to smile. The boy looked just like Seamus had their first year of school, though the little Irish boy had softer facial features than his father had. The boy smiled a big, goofy smile that was missing a front tooth.

Harry laughed. "That's definitely Seamus made over!" Harry hadn't seen the child in a few years. He supposed Ginny had probably seen him more often because Harry himself was busy with work. She would allow Albus and James to Floo to the Finnegan house in Ireland after James's first year at Hogwart's. James had once fancied Seamus's oldest daughter Olivia... Being to young to date, based on Harry and Seamus's expert, fatherly opinions, the two just remained closed friends.

Albus looked over to where his father was looking and smiled. "Hey, Will!" he called without waving. He didn't want to get in the measuring tape's way.

"Hey, Al!" Will called with a wave as Madam Malkin left him to come back with a set of new robes. "Excited about Gryffindor?" the boy called back in excitement as he eagerly accpeted the bundle of robes.

"Of course he is!" Harry laughed answering for his son. He and Ginny had never been more proud than when James had sent an owl with a letter happily announcing that he had been sorted into Gryffindor. "Gryffindor is your dad and me's old stomping ground," Harry said as Will came over to stand next to him. He couldn't pay for his new robes until he found his father anyway. "Where is your old man anyway?"

"Getting Mum a gift for their anniversary," Will smiled.

"How long have they been married?" Albus asked as he finally saw the measuring tape still. He put his arms down.

"Fifteen years," Will answered. He smiled even bigger than he had earlier at this. He loved his parents so much and was glad that they loved each other so well. He felt sorry for his friends who had parents who were divorced.

"That's great," Harry smiled.

"That it is," came an immediately recognizable Irish accent from behind where Harry stood. "Arry, ye old dog!" Seamus said slapping his friend on the back.

"Seamus," Harry smiled. "It's been a while!"

Seamus smiled, the same lop-sided smile he'd always had and patted his son's head. "We should catch up. Me and Will are goin' to get some lunch. Wanna join?"

"Wish we could," Harry smiled. "Kingsley's given me the day off, and Ginny expects us home for lunch." He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "You know how she can be."

Seamus paled and chuckled nervously. "That I do!" He took the bundle of robes from his son. "Nex' time then! See ya, Arry! Albus!"

"Next time," Harry agreed as he waved Seamus and Will off.

"Bye, Will!" Albus called. His friend said his goodbye and followed after his father in excitement.

"Alright, lads," Madam Malkin said as she returned. "Sorry for the wait. I wasn't meaning to leave you up there," she laughed gesturing to Albus's place on the stool.

"No worries," Harry smiled as he watched Madam Malkin grab the measuring tape from the air. She left, the way she had with Will, and returned seconds later with a bundle of black robes. She instructed Albus to try them on behind the small curtain at their station.

When Albus stepped behind the curtain with an excited nod, Madam Malkin smiled over at him apologetically. "I've run out of robes his size. I'll have to readjust the measurements on those." Harry nodded in understanding. He took advantage of the deserted stool at the station next to theirs when the previous occupants left.

Once behind the curtain, Albus carefully placed the robes on the oddly tall bench which he assumed was there for that specific purpose. It nearly came up above his waist. There was a curtain around it that reached the floor and was the same color as the curtain keeping his stripping form concealed from the shop's occupants. He pulled off the red Muggle, button-up shirt he was wearing- deciding to keep on the white undershirt- and stepped forward to put it on the bench. Then, he bent to untie his shoe so that he would be able to try on the uniform trousers that came with the bundle of robes. As he moved to untie his other shoe, movement from behind the curtain caught his eye. Being the son of an Auror, he was not scared in the slightest since it was probably just a mouse or something anyway... But he was extremely curious and reached out to pull the curtain up...

Suddenly, a pale hand came from behind the curtain and pulled him underneath the bench. "Woah!" he exclaimed as he hastily ducked to avoid hitting his head on the underside of the bench. Another pale hand came up and covered his mouth.

"Shh!" the pale stranger said. "Don't scream..."

Albus tilted his head in confusion at the boy before him. His skin was really pale unlike his own naturally tan skin. The boy had silver eyes and hair so blonde it appeared to be white in the darkness under the bench. Albus slowly reached up and pulled the hand away from his mouth. "Who are you?" he whispered. For some reason, Albus felt like he should know the boy in front of him, though they had never met. "And why are you hiding under this bench in my changing room?"

The blonde glared and raised his chin. "Malfoys do not hide."

"Ah... You're a Malfoy," Albus said immediately recognizing the name of his father's old school rival. He couldn't help but to laugh at the oddness of his present predicament. "Alright, Malfoy," he whispered, "since you're not hiding, what _are_ you doing?"

"Who are you?" the young Malfoy suddenly asked. The boy he'd dragged into his hiding place looked oddly familiar. Something in his appearance, however, seemed to be missing...

"Albus Potter," Albus smiled holding out his hand for the other boy to shake. The blonde seemed nothing like an arrogant, slimy git the way his father had always described Draco Malfoy.

"Potter..." Malfoy whispered finally able to place the boy's face with a name. Now he knew why he looked familiar: his grandfather, Lucius, had been showing him pictures of the 'Golden Boy' since he was one. But then why did the name Albus also seem so familiar to him? The boy before him was the spitting image of his father without glasses and the infamous lightning-bolt scar... The blonde stared at the outstretched hand for a few moments before slowly grasping it with his own. "Hello, Albus... My name is Scorpius."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Scorpius," Albus whispered enthusiastically. There was no way that the blonde before him could be anything like the men his father had always talked about.

Maybe his grandfather had been wrong about the Potters, Scorpius thought as he studied the boy across from him. Albus certainly didn't seem like the type of person to destroy an innocent life... But Scorpius knew that his grandfather was far from innocent anyway... He flinched when Albus's grip tightened, a small gasp escaping him. He released his hold on the other boy's hand, hoping that Albus hadn't noticed his small moment of weakness.

Unfortunately for Scorpius, Albus Potter had been trained sinced birth not to miss anything... He reached out for the hand Scorpius had pulled away from him. There was no way his handshake had hurt the blonde so badly unless... "You _are_ hiding... aren't you?"

On the back of Scorpius's hand were the faintest scratches and cuts. If Albus looked closer, he would have noticed that the cuts and scratches were actually words...

Scorpius pulled his hand back and cradled it to his chest, turning his face away from Albus. The glamour that should have hidden the markings had begun to wear off. Of course! Scorpius realized as he read the faint words... That's why Albus's name was so familiar... "It's nothing! And as I've said before, Malfoys do not hide!" His grandfather had kept an eye and ear on Harry Potter since he was freed from Azkaban after his trial. Scorpius had been told the names of each member of the family since he was old enough to understand...

When Scorpius had turned his head away, Albus noticed the faintest of bruises coming up from the blonde's shirt. Wait... was that a handprint...? Albus thought as he began to lean forward.

But just before Albus could get closer, a loud voice was heard coming from the shop, "Scorpius!" He saw said blonde flinch at the voice...

"Wait here," Albus ordered as he tried to crawl from beneath the bench nearly hitting his head a second time.

"N-no!" Scorpius exclaimed quickly grabbing Albus's trousers before he could get all the way out. Albus grew angry at the fear evident in his new friend's voice. Friend...? That's right, friends. Even if the blonde didn't want his friendship, he had it now... "Just wait a moment..."

"Why?" Albus asked as he sat back down. They listened intently.

"Excuse me, Mister Malfoy," they heard Harry say in his deep, commanding Auror tone. Albus had only heard his father use that voice outside of work just three times in eleven years...

"I'm not here to cause trouble, _Potter_," Lucius Malfoy spat. "I'm looking for my grandson."

"And where is your escort?" Harry asked with his voice full of as much hatred as the old man's. "Your case may have ended with your freedom, but that freedom comes with a price. You're not allowed to leave the manor without an Auror... Now where is he?"

Lucius scoffed. "You make me laugh, boy. Better tell Kingsley to find a better dog to sic on me... It seems I have misplaced another one..." He turned on his heel. "I shall look for my grandson elsewhere."

Albus's lip curled in a silent growl as he listened to the infamous Lucius Malfoy talk. He had never had the privelege to meet the man, but his entire family had never missed a chance to tell him all the horrid stories of his glory days... "Scorpius?" he called as he noticed the blonde was as still as a stone. "He's gone now..."

"Thank your father for me?" Scorpius finally asked, all traces of fear gone from his voice.

Albus patted the blonde's head in the same fashion the adults always seemed to pat his, noticing how soft the blonde strands were. "You can thank him yourself..."

"Why?" Scorpius asked in confusion. "He probably dislikes me as well now..."

"Don't be silly. Dad likes all my friends," Albus smiled hoping the blonde would not reject his friendship. Then his emerald eyes settled on Scorpius's neck where the bruise was still noticeable. "My cousin is a Healer, you know..." he whispered gently reaching over to touch the dark mark on the otherwise flawless skin.

Scorpius flinched slightly but allowed the contact. After all, Albus was nothing like his grandfather.

Grandfather...

"And... my grandfather is a Death Eater," Scorpius said as he pushed Albus's hand away. "We cannot be friends. I'm sorry for intruding on your changing. I'll leave," he said as he looked around for a way to leave without having to go out the front curtain. Then he noticed that the changing stall they were in was on the end of the row of stations. There was a back door to leave the shop just on the other side of the far wall. Without saying good-bye, he crawled from beneath the bench and squeezed beneath the side of the stall to find himself only ten feet from his exit. He stood and ran for it, thankful that no one would notice his departure.

"Albus? Hurry up," Harry called trying to regain his composure. "I need to stop by the office before we head home."

"Yes, father!" Albus called as he stared at the place Scorpius had just been. He crawled from beneath the bench and made quick work of putting on the robes. He stepped out from behind the curtain with determination blazing in his emerald eyes. He vowed then and there to save Scorpius Malfoy no matter what...

"What is wrong with me?" Scorpius asked angrily after he silently closed the door to the shop. Worried that Albus may decide to follow him, he didn't stop walking until he made it back on the crowded streets. From there, he found a secluded alley and went to wait there until he was sure his grandfather had given up his search. Madam Malkin's probably would have been safer for him to hide since Lucius had already been there, but it was not safe for the Potters... Scorpius sighed in defeat while putting his knees to his chest and locking his arms around them. He had been so stupid to even _consider_ a friendship with anyone connected to the name Potter, let alone a Potter himself. He looked down at his clasped hands, glaring as he watched the glamour fade completely. He gritted his teeth and felt a tear slide down his cheek as he read the words: _I shall obey and kill Albus Potter..._


	2. Chapter One: Realization

**Disclaimer:**This is a non-profit fiction created from my own mind. J.K. Rowling developed all of the original _Harry Potter_ characters and I simply added a few OCs. Ages and dates may also be different from Rowling's original work... Please enjoy!

_**Broken Glasses: **_**Chapter 1**

"Albus Potter!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed in exasperation as he tapped his wand against the teen's forhead.

"Y-yes, Professor?" Albus asked with a jump. Damn, he'd been caught again.

"What's the answer to my question? I'm sure you can tell me, since you obviously have time to daydream when you should be learning..." Albus remained silent for a few moments. "You _do_ have the answer, don't you?" the short professor asked in triumph when it appeared he had caught the teen red-handed. Albus had begun to pay less and less attention in class these days, and it wasn't just because the end of that school year was next week. Just because their O.W.L.s were over last year did not grant the students the right to slack off. There would be N.E.W.T.s next year.

"I do," Albus said as his green eyes, which were so much like his father's, finally glanced away from the annoyed Charms professor. "To correctly cast the memory modifier you must rotate your wand in a complete counter-clockwise motion while still maintaining the proper swish-and-flick motion with your wrist."

Professor Flitwick's jaw slightly dropped and he was momentarily stumped. The boy was right. "V-very good, Albus." He turned from the teen and went back up to his desk. "Ten points to Slytherin."

Albus smiled as his housemates patted his back... Then he shrugged with a superior smirk when he noticed his cousin Rose glaring at him. She was always trying to better him at something these days- even though she rarely succeeded. Oh well, Albus thought as he went back to daydreaming, he could handle his little cousin...

To say it had been a shock when Albus had been sorted into Slytherin would have been an understandment of epic proportions. The entire Potter-Weasley clan had been thrown off balance. Albus remembered his Uncle Ron's reaction the best. It had actually been quite comical in Albus's opinion. When the Headmaster, one Phineas Lollop, offered to resort him, Albus had declined without telling his family about the offer. He had, after all, wanted to be in Slytherin. He remembered his night in the Great Hall like it was yesterday...

_"Welcome, students!" Headmaster Lollop declared as the new first-years were lead in by Professor McGonagall. (Why she had declined the position as Headmistress, no one knew.) "Here at Hogwarts, we are very proud to welcome a new class of students every year. May this year be the greatest yet!" _

_James rolled his eyes at the Headmaster. His speech had been the same last year and the year before that. He ignored the old man and looked at the group of first-years, eagerly searching for his brother and cousins. Albus, Louis, and Rose were standing together at the back of the group. The trio failed to notice James's attempts to get their attention, and instead talked quietly amongst themselves as the Sorting finally commenced._

_James gave up tyring to get his family to notice him and decided to pay attention to the first years being sorted presently. "Finnegan, William!" Professor McGonagall called. James smiled as the excited Irish boy ran up to the the awaiting stool. He felt Ollivia reach for his hand under the table. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. Her worst fear was that her little brother would end up in a House other than Gryffindor, which James had told her countless times was silly. Seamus Finnegan, after all, practically bled red and gold even after his Hogwarts years. Little William could not be sorted into any other house._

_"Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat exclaimed. James chuckled when he heard a sigh of relief come from his friend as they cheered to welcome their new housemate. _

_As the Sorting continued, Albus had still failed to catch his brother's eye and vice versa. Albus stood back with Rose and Louis as he patiently awaited the sound of his own name being called. Professor McGonagall was just in the last names beginning with an 'L', so Albus decided it would be alright to focus on something else... Like the blonde he had met in Madam Malkin's. He had made it a point to search for the head of pale hair every time he and his family ventured into Diagon Alley or the other Wizarding Districts they frequented. There had been no sign of the blonde anywhere... Even then, Scorpius seemed to be invisible in the group of awaiting first-years every where they seemed to be: the Express, the boats, etc. Any attempt Albus made to find the blonde had been thwarted by one of his cousins or James. If he didn't know any better, he might have thought the blonde was hiding from him on purpose._

_Just before Albus could seek out the blonde, the name McGonagall read pulled him from his musings. "Malfoy, Scorpius!" the witch called loudly._

_Albus smiled at the chance to see the blonde again even as all conversation stopped around the Great Hall, every face turning to watch as the blonde slowly approached the stool. Albus felt his temper flare at the looks and glares everyone directed at his friend. What had Scorpius done to _them_? It was his first night at Hogwarts! _

_Scorpius, quite skilled at ignoring such unabashed looks of disgust held his head high on the long walk from the back of the Hall to the stool. McGonagall's face was a cold mask as she began to place the Sorting Hat on the head of blonde hair. "Slytherin!" the hat called before any sort of contact had been made between Scorpius and itself. Albus did not fail to notice the blonde's shoulders fall slightly as if in relief. There was no doubt in Albus's mind that that was exactly the case. From the sound of Lucius Malfoy, any House besides Slytherin would not have been acceptable. Scorpius probably would have been punished..._

_Albus clenched his fist at his sides at the thought of the old Death Eater hurting Scorpius, because why else would the blonde have felt it necessary to hide in Madam Malkin's that day? Albus had inherited many traits from his father, and following his gut was one Potter gene that had never failed him before; it wouldn't start then. When it was finally his turn to be sorted, Albus would be placed into Slytherin, no matter what. He was going to keep his promise..._

And so, five years later, Albus had taken it upon himself to get as close to the blonde Slytherin as he possibly could. Scorpius still refused to call them friends, but no longer protested when Albus sat with him in the Great Hall and during the lessons they shared with the other sixth years in their House. After a few months, the student body had learned to keep their distance from Scorpius if they had any sort of negativity about them. Albus could always find a way for Scorpius to confess if he'd been bothered by anyone. The young Potter did not stand for any sort of ill treatment of his friend, even if said friend refused to be labeled as such. His family no longer bothered him about it anymore. James had been completely supportive of Albus's choice of friends. Since James had graduated, his family had been a bit more distant, as if James had been an anchor between the Gryffindors and the Slytherin.

But... Albus would not force his family to understand. He didn't need them anyway. So when class was over, Albus left before Rose Weasley had a chance to stop him. Instead of heading to the library like his family normally did, Albus made his way to the dungeons. Scorpius had decided not to take Charms that year and had been in Ancient Runes, a class Albus wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. They each had a free period before dinner and Albus was excited to tell Scorpius about his most recent show of intelligence against Rose. She was so damn competetive... And Scorpius enjoyed to hear how Albus bettered her at nearly everything.

With such giddy thoughts running through his mind, Albus took no notice of his surroundings as he made his way through the castle. Just a short distance from his destination, Albus was pulled back into awareness at the sound of his blonde friend's name. He pulled back into an empty alcove in the corridor when he heard a group of students coming. He heard Scorpius's name come up once again.

"That Malfoy brat is in the Prefects' bathroom on the third floor," hissed a voice Albus wasn't familiar with, though he could tell the owner must have been a seventh-year.

"Scorpius Malfoy," scoffed a second voice, "we should teach him _and _his family a lesson." A chorus of agreement followed. From his hidden spot in the alcove, Albus heard the group shift as one and head back the other way, no doubt towards the Prefects' bathroom to teach their little 'lesson'.

Albus gritted his teeth at the scathing threat. How dare they speak so little about someone they didn't know. The group of students definitely weren't from his own house. A Slytherin wouldn't act so cowardly and in secret.

Albus hoped that the group of guys wouldn't mind a new lesson plan.

He stepped out of the alcove and used a secret passage-way his father's map had shown him; it opened right into the Prefects' bathroom...

Scorpius sighed heavily as he allowed the hot water of his bath to soothe away all of his troubles. There were only a few days left this school year, and he was not looking forward to the Summer holidays. It seemed as if spending time at home grew more unbearable with every break. Hogwarts, surprisingly, was a safe haven for the blonde. He rarely got trouble from the other students though he supposed they all wished to confront him. He didn't blame them really. Lucius Malfoy had been a menace, with his son stuck in the dark shadow. Scorpius knew his father had only done the things he did in the war out of fear and obligation. His grandfather, however, had been a devoted follower of the Dark Lord. Since his son was not able to follow in his footsteps, Lucius had taken Scorpius under his wing against his will.

Scorpius sank lower into the liquid bliss of his bath water as his thoughts turned dark. He abhorred his paternal grandfather with one of the most intense passions he had ever felt. Grandparents were supposed to spoil their grandchildren, not punish them. Lucius should have been happy to see Scorpius when he returned home during breaks, not sick at the sight of him because he had failed yet again to complete his mission. Though the blonde supposed that he would just have to settle with the fact that his grandfather was incapable of love, a fact made especially true after the death of his Grandmother Narcissa. The former Death Eater had lost even more of himself with the death of his wife- if possible, making him even more dangerous.

Wasn't his life just amazing?

"Couldn't get any better..." Scorpius sighed sarcastically before fully submerging himself beneath the lilac-scented bubbles.

"What couldn't?" Scorpius heard when he resurfaced. He nearly jumped out of the water at the sudden voice. A familiar chuckle met his ears next.

Scorpius closed his eyes, whispering a silent charm before turning around to face the intruder. "Potter, what are you doing here?"

"I just fancied a bath after Charms," Albus shrugged with his usual lopsided smile. Honestly, Scorpius didn't really understand why all the girls swooned at the simple gesture. Albus did it all the time, shouldn't they have been used to it by now?

"Where are your clothes?" he asked with a smirk when he noticed the other teen's lack of clothes to change into.

Albus opened his mouth to reply but found he couldn't. Scorpius had caught his lie. "Spur of the moment," he said finally with a laugh as he discarded his outer robes and placed them next to Scorpius's.

Scorpius shook his head as he watched Albus undo his belt. "Honestly, why do you even bother with the belt if you don't tuck in your shirt?" he asked turning around to play with the bubbles around him.

"My trousers would be around my ankles without a belt," Albus chuckled as he pulled off his vest and began unbuttoning his white-collared shirt.

"Can't you buy trousers that actually fit?" Scorpius asked with a smile despite himself. At least Albus couldn't see it.

Albus's hands paused on the button of his trousers. "I suppose I could," he chuckled. And the warm sound sent a pleasant shiver down Scorpius's spine. Odd, he thought, since that had never happened before.

When Scorpius turned back around his face began to heat up as he watched Albus fold his trousers and reach for his Gryffindor red boxers. He turned back around as fast as he could to give his fellow Slytherin some privacy. Was he blushing? Malfoys do not blush, especially around another Slytherin... Maybe he had been soaking in the hot water too long. Ancient Runes let out early and Scorpius had immediately gone to the Prefect's bathroom. Yeah, that had to be it; he'd been there a while. The heat and lilac in the air was getting to him. Its not as if he hadn't seen Albus change before. They shared dorms, for Merlin's sake.

So why did Scorpius feel his heart begin beating faster as Albus slipped into the bath alongside him?

"You like it hot, yeah?" Albus chuckled as he eased into the scalding water. The soothing lilac soap took some of the sting away, but damn, it was still really hot.

"What?" Scorpius asked as if coming out of a trance.

"The water," Albus said waving a hand over it. "You like it boiling."

Scorpius blushed and sank lower into the water. "Hot water is more cleansing," he whispered softly. Albus almost couldn't hear him. "Can't handle it?" Scorpius teased changing the subject suddenly.

"I can handle anything you can," Albus said speaking like the Gryffindor he should have been. And Scorpius laughed, telling him exactly that. "Well then, you'll be surprised to know that the Sorting Hat had originally wanted to put me in Gryffindor," Albus laughed. He found it rather amusing that just the opposite had happened to his father.

"Really?" Scorpius asked as he turned to face Albus. This was certainly news to him. "And you didn't let it?" Without meaning to he inched his way closer to the other teen. "Why?" he asked as his eyes unwillingly locked onto Albus's tan, flawless chest, watching water droplets slide down the delectable skin. He had the sudden urge to see if those toned muscles were as firm as they looked... Wait, what? Scorpius tried to look anywhere else, but his eyes were glued to the teen next to him...

Albus felt his heart skip a beat in excitement as he watched Scorpius watching him. The unmistakable feeling of desire began pooling in his stomach and traveled straight to his groin when Scorpius moved even closer to him. "Because _you _had been sorted into Slytherin," he answered locking his eyes onto Scorpius's lips. How had he never noticed how soft they looked before that moment?

"So, it's my fault you're a Slytherin?" Scorpius asked with a faint smile as he leaned closer still. Their lips were a breath apart. What was he doing? He tried to pull back, but found that the act was nearly impossible. And besides, Albus didn't seem to mind...

Albus had never felt this way before; he felt both hot and cold all at once... Of course he had known that he was attracted to the blonde, but he never thought he harbored romantic feelings for him. He had merely wanted to befriend the scared boy from Madam Malkin's, but now... As Scorpius began to slowly close the gap between their lips, he couldn't imagine wanting anything else as much as he wanted to kiss the blonde.

The almost perfect moment, however, was ruined with the sound of the door being thrown open.

Scorpius jumped away from Albus and slapped his hands over his mouth. Albus, however, had his wand drawn and at the ready as a group of upperclassmen marched into the room with their wands raised. When had he even gotten his wand...?

"Oh, hello, Al," came the voice of Phillip Snicket. He was a Ravenclaw seventh year. "What are you doing in here?"

"Just fancied a bath after class," Albus answered with a dark glare at the group. "Ran into Scorpius."

"What a coincidence," laughed the voice Albus hadn't recognized in the corridor. The teen's face was familiar from a Quidditch game he had played against Gryffindor. If he wasn't mistaken, he was Gryffindor's Keeper. His name was Gavin, or something else unimportant. "He's just the man we were looking for."

Scorpius glared at the fully clothed intruders and felt horribly and vulnerably exposed despite the thick layer of bubbles covering most of him from view.

"That _is _a coincidence," Albus said with a smile Scorpius saw no humor in. "Looks like you're out of luck since he's already made plans with _me_. You'll be leaving disappointed," he added without any real remorse. "My apologies."

"Plans are made to be changed," Phillip said with a dark smirk over in Scorpius's direction. The blonde's silver eyes darkened in anger, but he made no move to let on just how angry he was. Defiance only made matters worse; he had learned that lesson from his grandfather on several occassions...

"Not plans with me I'm afraid," Albus said darkly as he pointed his wand at the group of teens. Just as they all yelled out a different curse, Albus hit them _all_ with a powerful stunning charm. The group fell down onto the hard floor and lay still. "Let's go," Albus said as he climbed out of the water and conjured a large, fluffy towel before wrapping it around himself. Scorpius tried not to stare as he followed suit. However, his life could never be easy. As he took a step towards his discarded clothes and towel, he slipped. Of _course_ he did.

Just as Scorpius expected to land back into the bath, strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him flush against an equally strong chest. "Are you alright?" Albus asked as he carefully held the smaller teen against him, feeling his heart begin to beat faster. He silently thanked his parents and Quidditch for his quick relfexes. (His father had been one of the best Seekers Hogwarts had ever seen, and his mother had played for the Harpies...)

Scorpius's already speeding heartbeat picked up pace as he realized, with a deep blush, that his savior was just as naked and wet as he was... "F-fine," he whispered trying to ignore the feel of the other teen's manhood pressed into his stomach, though he made no move to step away from the warmth of Albus's body against his own.

"That's good," Albus said with a soft smile. He wasn't sure whether he should be embarrassed about having dropped his towel in his attempt to catch Scorpius, or if he should feel giddy that the smaller teen was obviously as flustered as he was if his quickening pulse was anything to go by. He was glad that the blonde had decided not to move away yet.

Scorpius had no idea how long they stood there not moving, but when a familiar tingling began in his hand he spread his fingers on Albus's chest, watching as the words began to reform on the back of his hand. Without warning, he pushed himself out of Albus's embrace and grabbed his own towel. "Thanks for catching me," he said hastily as he dried off. He didn't want to admit that he had immediately missed the other's warmth as he threw on his clothes as quickly as he could without risking a glance at at Albus.

"Don't mention it," Albus muttered with a slight frown. He retrieved his towel from the floor and finished drying off. When he turned around after getting dressed he noticed that Scorpius was already gone. He hadn't even heard him leave. "Dammit," he growled. The blonde had a way of disappearing on him.

With a sigh, Albus stepped over the group of stunned bodies on the floor. The spell would wear off shortly so he would just leave them in the bathroom to reflect on who they had tried to wrong. Albus would be ready for them if they decided to retaliate.

But until then, he needed time to sort through the new feelings he now harbored towards his blonde friend...


	3. Chapter Two: Arrangements

**Disclaimer:**This is a non-profit fiction created from my own mind. J.K. Rowling developed all of the original _Harry Potter_ characters and I simply added a few OCs. Ages and dates may also be different from Rowling's original work... Please enjoy!

_**Broken Glasses: Chapter 2**_

"Al, what are you doing in here?" Lilly Potter asked as she found her brother's hideout. He had managed to find a compartment on the last cart of the train; it was completely empty. "We've saved a compartment towards the front."

Albus sighed as he turned to his sister. Her auburn hair was pulled back like it usually was, and she had taken off her Gryffindor robes to replace them with the Muggle clothes she preferred to wear. She was like their father that way. "Lil, I'd really just like to be left alone to think."

"About what?" Lilly asked taking the seat next to her brother without asking his permission. She could tell when her brothers were having mental warfare. She prided herself in being a good listener like their Aunt Hermione.

"I'm not sure," Albus said with a shrug. But when his sister hit him with a penetrating glare, he sighed. "Fine... I'm just trying to avoid Rose."

Lilly laughed at her brother's discomfort. "You know, it wouldn't surprise me if the two of you were Head Boy and Girl next year."

"I'm thrilled," Albus said sarcastically. Knowing their cousin, Rose would not be very happy with having to share the honor of being a Head with another member of the family. James and Ollivia Finnegan had been excellent Heads their last year at Hogwarts, and to be quite honest, Albus thought one Head in the Potter house was plenty. He would not get bent out of shape over the title like he knew Rose would. Not having to spend more time with her would work better in everyone's favor anyway.

"I'll be sure to let her know you think so," Lilly laughed.

They both turned to the compartment door at the sound of it sliding open. Scorpius immediately stilled, the faintest of blushes on his pale cheeks. "Sorry, I thought this compartment might be empty..."

Lilly stared at the blonde intently before glancing back at her brother. Hmmm... "Well, I'll leave now," she said with a smile as she stood. "You can have my seat, Malfoy."

Scorpius allowed Lilly to step past him and into the hallway. "See ya, Al," she called with a wink.

"I'll go too," Scorpius said trying to follow after the younger witch.

"No you won't," Albus chuckled as he grabbed Scorpius's arm. He pulled him back into the compartment, directing him to the seat across from his own. "Please sit."

"Potter," Scorpius sighed, "don't you understand the word no?"

"Guess not," Albus smiled.

Scorpius felt his heart skip a beat at the sight. It was the same damn lop-sided smile he had seen countless times, so why did it feel as if he was seeing it for the first time? He had successfully avoided the black-haired teen all week just to have his efforts wasted because he accidentally found Albus's compartment on the way home. Scorpius hadn't been aware that students sat this far back on the train. He'd planned to find an empty compartment and ignore the other students as always... But Albus always managed to pop out of nowhere...

"Were you trying to hide?" Albus asked as he settled back into his seat. He folded his arms behind his head and waited for the blonde to answer.

"Were _you_?" Scorpius asked in return. "Surely you didn't expect anyone to come back here with you."

"_You _came back here," Albus countered with a smirk. "It's about time too. I was growing tired of you avoiding me."

"Don't be silly," Scorpius said indignantly as he crossed his arms across his chest. "I wasn't avoiding anyone, least of all you," though he had been doing just that. Albus didn't need to know that. "And it shouldn't matter to you anyway because you should be used to it by now... Aren't I _always_ trying to get away from you?" Scorpius asked with a small smile.

Was the blonde Slytherin trying to tease him? Albus wondered with a smile. "I suppose you're right..." he chuckled. "And _I_ came back here to avoid my family with what little time I've got left to be able to do so. As soon as we reach King's Cross, I'll be stuck with them all summer..."

Scorpius laughed, Albus decidedly pleased at the sound. "Even_ you _can't stand to be around them?" he asked. "That makes two of us."

"It's not even my whole family," Albus elaborated. "It's just Rose for the most part."

At the name, Scorpius sneered, his lip curling in disgust. "Such a beautiful name for such a foul creature."

Normally, Albus would have jumped up to defend his family, but Rose deserved a bit of whatever Scorpius decided to dish out. She constantly ran her mouth negatively where the blonde was concerned, and Albus was growing tired of her bad attitude. He smiled over at his friend. "You know, the other day you left the bathroom too quickly. I hadn't had time to tell you that I'd bested her yet again in Charms. Flitwick couldn't help but to give me some points."

At the mention of the bathroom, Scorpius felt his face heat up as he remembered the naked sight of the male across from him. He turned his head to look out the window, not needing to embarrass himself by staring at Albus anymore than he had already. Surely the other teen had noticed in the bathroom... "T-that's great," he said finally. "I'm tired of her superiority complex. Some one should knock her down a few steps."

Albus chuckled as the Express finally pulled out of the station. He wished Scorpius would look at him, but decided that the blonde's company would be enough for now...

The silence might have been good enough for Albus, but after an hour of it, Scorpius could handle no more. There was a question he wanted to ask that had been bothering him for the last week. "Potter, did you know that group of barbarians was going to come after me?"

Albus frowned at the sudden question but saw no point in lying to the blonde. "I might have heard them in the corridor on the way back down to the dungeons. What of it?"

"Why do you always manage to show up right when I need you?" Scorpius asked lowly. Could it be that the other teen cared about his well-being? Scorpius dared not to even hope for such an honor.

Albus shrugged with a soft smile. "Perhaps it's my inner Gryffindor," he teased. He certainly didn't want the blonde to feel like some sort of damsel in distress who needed protection. In fact, Albus was rather confident that Scorpius could handle himself in any situation.

Scorpius couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I suppose it _does _run in your blood."

Albus could never imagine getting tired of hearing Scorpius's laugh. "You have a nice laugh," he blurted unintentionally. Shit! It was one thing to think it, but to say it aloud...?

Scorpius blushed despite himself and turned big, silver eyes to the man across from him. "Thank you," he said after almost losing himself in the emerald eyes staring back at him. What was wrong with him? The hot bath water could not be his excuse this time.

"You're very welcome," Albus smiled. He was certainly glad that Scorpius hadn't gotten upset after his sappy outburst.

The blonde suddenly turned back to look out the window. "Uh... You have a... nice smile," he whispered in return.

Albus grinned hugely at the unexpected compliment. "Thanks," he said after a few seconds of proud silence. Scorpius thought he had a nice smile... He reveled in the pleasant feeling that settled in his stomach at the blonde's words and simply stared out the window to watch the scenery fly past.

It was a customary European day outside as the Express rode through fields, meadows, and small villages on the way to King's Cross. The sky was grey and heavy clouds hung over their heads the entire way. Despite the bleak appearance of the sky, Albus was able to enjoy the vast colors of the landscape; it was full of every shade of green with colors like red, blue, and purple to break up the monotony. The drive through the vibrant foliage of the European countryside was overall peaceful enough for both teens to forget their worries and fill their minds with more pertinent matters.

As Albus began to dissect his feelings for Scorpius, he spared a glance over at the blonde... And then...

He _knew. _He couldn't turn his eyes away from the sight before him...

The sun had chosen that precise moment to make a rare appearance from behind the clouds. The brilliant golden color of its light exploded into the entire compartment, contrasting with Scorpius's pale skin. And again, Albus's eyes could not look away from the stunning sight. The blonde's skin was literally sun-kissed- and he felt silly for the thought- but Albus could not help but to feel jealous of the stupid ball of gas. Why could it kiss Scorpius when _he _couldn't...?

Yes. There was no doubt about it; he was definitely attracted to the other teen in a romantic way. Why else would he be thinking in poetry at the sight before him?

Scorpius felt as if Albus's eyes were burning a hole right through him with their intensity as he sensed the other teen staring. All the warmth Scorpius had felt from the black-haired teen's arms in the Prefect's bathroom came rushing back to him- and Albus wasn't even touching him this time! He dared not to turn his head, afraid of what might happen if he had to look the other teen in the eyes. Whenever he felt eyes upon him, they were usually glaring or trying to kill him with looks alone...Yet... Albus's gaze was different; it made him feel warm and his heart began beating faster, as if it were trying to beat right out of his chest. Even before Albus had made Scorpius's heart start acting funny, he would look at him as if he cared. Scorpius found it ironic that the one person he couldn't be friends with was the _one _person who actually wanted to befriend him. "Is there something the matter?" Scorpius finally managed to ask without pulling his eyes from the passing landscapes.

"N-nothing," Albus said slowly as he forced himself to look away from the beautiful creature just within touching distance. It was certain now, he definitely wanted the blonde. He wanted to kiss him, to hold him, to...

To love him.

And this realization scared the hell out of Albus.

He had never been one to dwell on the past. He didn't care about names or social standing. Names were unimportant while the past was equally so. No one could change it, so why worry over it? Mistakes are made by everyone, and it certainly wasn't Scorpius's fault that Lucius Malfoy was an apple that fell way too far off the tree. He couldn't have stopped Draco Malfoy from doing what he had been forced to do all those years ago either... But just because Albus Potter saw no problem with the name Malfoy, the same could not be said for the rest of his family, who didn't practice the same tolerance. Albus got enough grief out of his cousins for simply trying to be friends with Scorpius. What would they do should he act on his new romantic feelings? It was a tough question to even begin answering, but he thought about the answer anyway. He supposed James and Teddy wouldn't care one way or the other, but the majority of his aunts and uncles still held a grudge against Scorpius's father, and of course their children shared the prejudice...

"I can see the station," Albus said finally pulling himself from his own thoughts. He stood to stretch. For now, he decided, it would be best not to act on his feelings. Besides, just because he felt something for Scorpius didn't mean that the blonde reciprocated those feelings. He still refused to even call them friends!

But maybe he could change that... "Scorpius, would you like to come visit me over the break?" he asked slowly as the blonde stood as well.

Before Scorpius could answer, the train slammed on breaks to pull into the station. "Oomph," he gasped as he was thrown into Albus's chest while the train came to a stop. He was saved from falling once again by Albus as his arms wrapped around his waist.

"Scorpius?" Albus whispered against the top of Scorpius's head. He slowly inhaled the scent of the shorter teen. When had he started smelling so wonderful, like warm vanillla and a variety of spices?

Why did this keep happening to him? Albus should have been his enemy, he should have hated him like everyone else. So why was he making it so hard for Scorpius to maintain his distance? "I don't think I'll be able to," he mumbled, not yet ready to push himself away from the bigger teen and his warmth.

"Why?" Albus asked trying not to let his disappointment leak into his voice although he didn't really succeed. Hopefully Scorpius wouldn't notice.

Scorpius felt his heart flutter at the dejected tone to Albus's voice. Did the other teen desire his company so much? Scorpius hated to admit it, but he would gladly run off to the Potter house if it meant he didn't have to return to Malfoy Manor. His grandfather would not be very excited to see him. "Grandfather keeps me busy over the summer holidays," he answered truthfully.

Albus clenched his jaw shut as anger welled up inside of him. The mention of Lucius Malfoy could kill any good mood and ruin any peaceful moment, especially since Albus was well aware that the old man had a habit of hurting the blonde he still held in his arms. He desperately wished the blonde would accept his friendship and talk to him, but Scorpius was excellent at facing the world alone, no matter how wrong it treated him. "Well, maybe I'll just come to visit _you."_

"No," Scorpius said firmly as he pulled away from Albus. "I'll see if I can visit you, but you must _never_ come to my house! Never!" Albus made to speak up. "Promise me!" the blonde interrupted, his eyes wide and panicked.

Albus could see the fear in the blonde's eyes as he warned against any surprise visits. He sighed, "Alright, I promise." The immediate release of tension from Scorpius showed Albus just how worried the blonde had actually been. He gently ran a thumb over his cheek. "I'm not afraid of your grandfather, Scorpius," he said softly, assuming correctly that the former Death Eater was the root of Scorpius's anxiety.

"That makes one of us," Scorpius whispered sadly as he put more distance between them.

The short sentence was spoken so softly that Albus could not make out what he said. "What?" he tried to ask.

"I said, our families are expecting us," Scorpius lied as he pulled the compartment door open. "See you later, Albus."

Albus felt as if time had suddenly stopped. His heart even seemed to stop beating as he watched Scorpius walk out, leaving him alone in the compartment. The blonde had _never_ used his first name before. Hell, he'd never even heard Scorpius use it along _with _his last name. It had always just been 'Potter' with the blonde, never 'Albus.'

When Albus finally regained his bearings, it was too late. Scorpius was long gone. He couldn't even see a head of white-blonde hair on the crowded platform as his eyes roamed over every face in search of his family or Scorpius.

"Al! Over here!" he heard Lilly call. When he reluctantly turned around- only after he was sure Scorpius was in fact gone- he saw his little sister waving him over. His mother and James stood with her and their trunks from the luggage car. Albus made his way through the throng of reuniting families and smiled at his mother.

"How was your last semester, darling?" Ginny Potter asked pulling her youngest boy into a tight hug.

"Just the usual," Albus said with a smile, deliberately keeping his new feelings to himself. "Where's Dad?" he asked. Another look around the platform revealed that his father hadn't even come.

"The Minister called him to his office," Ginny said with an annoyed huff. "Honestly, you'd think the Minister of Magic could tie his own bloody shoes by himself!"

Albus laughed at his mother's obvious dislike of their most-recent Minister. He was probably one of the worst Ministers to have ever been sworn in. James clapped him on the back and ruffled his hair. "He's been calling Dad away more and more this month," he said with a sigh. "My partner and I have been swimming in paperwork at the office while he has the rest of the teams out gallivanting around London in the search of his misplaced socks!"

Albus could hear his brother's annoyance just as easily as he had heard their mother's. "Really?" he asked with a chuckle. When James had followed in their father's footsteps by becoming an Auror, Albus had enjoyed hearing his new stories of working in the field, but he couldn't imagine his brother- or the other Aurors for that matter- on the hunt for socks!

"Alright, so it wasn't a pair of socks, but it was pretty damn close!" James laughed.

Ginny glared at him before popping his ear. "Watch your mouth," she said sternly. "You're never too old for me to get the old soap bar back out." And all three of her kids understood that it wasn't a mere threat. The graying, red-headed witch meant it.

"Yes, mum," James said bowing his head in mock defeat so his mother couldn't see his smile. Albus and Lilly held their laughter in as well. It would not be wise to anger their mother more.

"I tought you well," Ginny chuckled as she waved her wand over her youngests' luggage. The trunks immediately shrunk to a managable size. "Grab your trunks and we'll be on our way." Lilly and Albus picked up their appropriate trunks and dropped them into their pockets. "Alright, now we're heading to the Burrow!" Ginny exclaimed with a smile. "It's Dominique's birthday today, and you're father will be meeting us there as soon as he can."

Albus internally groaned. How had he forgotten his cousin's birthday? Every year they went to the Burrow after getting off the Hogwarts Express for Summer holidays, so why should this year have been any different? His sudden infatuation with Scorpius must have affected his thinking, but he would have rather been with the other Slytherin anyway. He didn't really feel like being surrounded by his family that day.

Scorpius, unsurprisingly, was thinking along the same lines as he stepped out of the fireplace and into his father's study. He stepped out of the way as his father followed him out of the floo. "Welcome home, my little Scorpion!" his mother exclaimed as she glided into the study and wrapped him in a fierce hug.

The scent of roses and cinnamon immediately assaulted Scorpius's senses, calming him completely. "Hello, Mother," he said with a smile as he returned the embrace; however, he could not help but compare his mother's embrace to Albus's. While his mother's embrace was full of love, it was nowhere near as warm as Albus's. The other teen made him feel _needed, _not just wanted. He both craved the embrace and wanted to pull away from it.

"How was school?" Draco asked as he patted his son's head.

"Rather dull," Scorpius replied when his mother finally released him. "Slytherin won the House Cup," he added as an after thought.

"Really!" his mother exclaimed with a smile. She smirked over at her husband. "You know what _that_ means, darling Dragon!" She spun in an elegantly excited cirlce.

Draco sighed with a shake of his head before sitting down at the chair behind his desk. "What does it mean?" Scorpius asked once his curiosity finally got the better of him.

"It means, Scorpius darling, that your father has to take me anywhere I wish to go for an entire month!" his mother answered with a bright smile. "We've built the Malfoy accounts back up from the ground, and honestly, you're a terrible gambler," she teased.

Scorpius laughed when his father's eye twitched at the insult, though he showed no other sign of his annoyance. "I admit that I lost our little wager, but we are _not_ going anywhere without Scorpius or someone here to stay with him." As he spoke, his voice fully exuded an air of authority as Lord of the Manor.

"Why not his grandfather?" Lucius Malfoy sneered as he walked into the room. Contempt and years of anger were showing through his tired silver eyes that were so much like his heir and grandson.

Draco Malfoy, however, had suffered at the hands of his father far too many times to be scared away now. "Wonderful idea, Father, thank you," he said with a glare at the elder Malfoy. Then he turned to his wife, "Ask your parents to sit with him." She nodded in agreement, glaring at Lucius as well, though her warm brown eyes were not as venomous as her husband's.

Lucius's cold stare hardened. Scorpius almost believed his icy gaze was actually presenting the room with a chill. When those eyes turned to him, he fought the urge to look away because he knew it would be considered a weakness. "Father, I will be fine," he said with a smile at his parents. "I actually had a friend invite me over for the summer."

Draco and his wife stared back at their son before breaking into matching grins. "That's great, son!" Draco smiled.

"It's about time you've decided to make more friends!" his mother exclaimed pulling him into another hug. From his place in the doorway, Lucius nodded his approval and left. "You're so somber and down all of the time. These friends must be changing you for the better," his mother continued to gush. She was excited that he would finally be seeing friends outside of school. She was glad he was finally going to spend time away from the Manor and away from her father-in-law.

Scorpius let his mother fawn over his summer plans, and in turn, he asked questions about where she would make his father take her so that she would not dwell on the fact that he would not be spending his summer with Andrew Nott. He couldn't very well tell them that Albus had been the one to invite him over, and especially since Lucius had ears all over the Manor. What would he do if he knew that Albus had extended an invitation to his grandson? Scopius shuddered at the thought.

While he had no intention of going to anyone's house, his parents didn't need to know that and could remain in blissful ignorance about how he would actually be spending his summer. They had plans of their own, and besides, they had each given up enough for him over the years. It hadn't been easy to polish off the tarnished name of Malfoy after the war. And it hadn't been easy for his mother to marry into the family either. Lucius gave her as much grief as he did anyone else, if not more because he didn't approve of her marriage to his son. Scorpius could at least give them a summer free of worry so they could have a well-deserved break from the stress of their everyday lives. If they believed he was spending the summer with friends, then they wouldn't need to drag his maternal grandparents into anything. Lucius despised them. The summer would go better for everyone if Scorpius was left alone with his grandfather.

There was not a doubt in Scorpius's mind that his grandfather had more dark plans in store for him this summer...


	4. Chapter Three: Three Weeks

**Disclaimer:**This is a non-profit fiction created from my own mind. J.K. Rowling developed all of the original _Harry Potter_ characters and I simply added a few OCs. Ages and dates may also be different from Rowling's original work... Please enjoy!

**Warning: **This chapter switches POV, from Scorpius to Albus and back again. And after the first time jump, it continues on the _same_ day. (Time jump is marked by Albus. It jumps about three weeks. You'll see...)

HAPPY EASTER! The Easter Bunny has brought you a new chapter!

_**Broken Glasses: Chapter 3**_

_**Scorpius...**_

With gritted teeth Scorpius Malfoy stood before his grandfather, sweat dripping down his forhead. And even after hours of excrutiating pain he refused to give in- that was what Lucius wanted. He wanted to see Scorpius fail- proving what he had always known: his grandson was weak. The young blonde, however, would never give his grandfather the satisfaction, no matter that his entire body wanted to collapse, to completely shut down.

"I have never been more disappointed in you." Lucius spat the familiar phrase bitterly as his empty silver eyes looked upon Scorpius with years of hate and scorn rolled into his most recent feelings of disgust. "I have taught you everything you need to know, and yet, you cannot complete the simplest of tasks!" Having long since parted with every shred of Malfoy dignity he had left, Lucius raised his hand yet again.(His ability to use wandless magic had grown in the absence of his wand after his release from Azkaban.) Scorpius braced himself as the familiar Unforgivable began to form on his grandfather's lips...

The curse, however, never came. A House-Elf chose that moment to come in unannounced.

"Master L-lord Ma-Malfoy," the small creature stuttered with a bow at the eldest Malfoy, "An A-auror is h-here for y... you."

Lucius glared death at the poor creature standing before him before finally lowering his hand. "Scorpius, you are dismissed."

With a weak nod, Scorpius turned on his heel, never more eager to get away. "Iggy," he acknowledged with a bow of his head and a small smile at the House-Elf. The creature's large green eyes brightened, his ears perking up.

"I shall let him in?" Iggy asked Lucius as Scorpius disappeared out the study door.

"Of course," Lucius snapped rudely. Iggy, however, was unfazed. With a soft pop, he was gone only to return a few seconds later with a very familiar Auror in tow.

Lucius's grey eyes were dangerous as he glared at the newcomer. "What are you doing here, Potter?"

_**Albus...**_

It had only been two-and-a-half weeks into the Summer holidays when Albus finally concluded that his long, two-month break would be a dreadful one. And it had all started at his cousin's birthday...

_As usual, the Burrow was nearly bursting at the seams when the Potters arrived. The youngest of the grandchildren were running around outside, no doubt being ordered to rid the garden of gnomes. A few of the older grandchildren were helping to both watch the little ones and do their fair share of the work. Everything outside seemed to be taken care of. And since no jobs remained outside, the women of the family would then proceed to the kitchen while the men were forced to either watch the children or fulfill random tasks around the crowded house._

_Ginny led her three children straight to the living room where a large wall of variously wrapped gifts were making the room much more crammed than was the norm for such gatherings. (Albus vaguely noted that at least one-third of the presents appeared to be from the same person- if their identical wrappings were anything to judge by.)_

_As the Potters surveyed the room, Molly Weasely- it was a rare moment indeed to find her outside the kitchen- emerged from the other side of the gift wall. "Ginny!" she exclaimed immediately latching herself onto her only daughter._

_"Hello, Mum," Ginny smiled as she returned the hug in earnest._

_"Where's my son-in-law?" Molly asked with a slight frown when she noticed that Harry was no where in sight. He was working too much these days._

_"With the Minister," Ginny replied with only mild disgust. _

_"Don't get me started on the bloody Minister," Molly grumbled as she moved over to her grandchildren. "Honestly! That man..." Lilly, James, and Albus laughed. It was very easy to see that their mother was so much like their grandmother. Molly shook her head and smiled at their amusement. "Welcome home, dears!" she exclaimed giving each of her grandchildren a hug. "James, I hope you're keeping young Mister Wood alive and well!"_

_"I'm trying," James chuckled. His partner at work was Olliver Wood's son, Preston Wood. He graduated two years before James had, but had taken the two years after graduating to follow in his father's footsteps and tried his hand at Professional Quidditch. After about a year with one of the Puddlemere United training teams, he was invited to play for the main team as the youngest Seeker they'd ever had. He might have made it in the big league were it not for a bad training accident two weeks before his first game... _

_Before Mrs. Weasely could ask any more questions, however, Lilly spoke up. "Where's Dominique, Gran?" _

_Molly smiled. "She's upstairs with her latest beau." The boys and Lilly rolled their eyes. Their cousin was always with a new boyfriend. In fact, none of their cousins with Veela blood stayed single for very long. _

_After seeing her grandkids' reactions, Molly just chuckled. "I think he's different, this one! Look at all these gifts!" With a large gesture of her arms, she motioned at the presents that had the same wrapping paper and bows._

_"He bought them all?" James asked incredulously. "Who is it, he must be rich!" Ginny elbowed her son._

_"His name's Harrison. And yes, he bought each and every one, sweetie!" Molly smiled. "I think Dominique will finally settle down this time- get me some great-grandbabies!" Ginny laughed at her mother's enthusiasm. In terms of family, Molly Weasley firmly believed in 'the bigger, the better.' "Well anyway, everything's nearly finished! Go upstairs and see Dominique. Fleur got held up at work and Bill is out back with your father. George and Angelina will be along later, " Molly said furrowing her brows. "They had to meet Fred at St. Mungo's- that boy's gone and done it this time!" Molly mumbled as she turned to hurry back to the kitchen and finish dinner. There were so many mouths to feed!_

_"Alright, I'm eager to meet Dominique's latest conquest," Ginny giggled as she threw an arm over her daughter's shoulders. "Let's go, Lilly. Boys, you can wait for your father. He should get here shortly."_

_"Alright, Mum," James nodded. He and Albus watched their mother and sister head upstairs, and as soon as they were gone, James rounded on his little brother. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded getting right to the point._

_"What do you mean?" Albus asked raising an eyebrow. _

_"There's something on your mind- I know you," James answered crossing his arms over his chest. He gave his brother a stern look. Albus would either answer willingly or James would be prepared to force the answer out of him. Auror training had definitely come in handy..._

_"It's nothing," Albus said leaving no room for argument. He looked away from his brother's calculating eyes. It would benefit no one for him to confess something he hardly understood himself... He sighed. "When I'm ready to talk, you'll be the first to know."_

_James contemplated his brother's answer. Finally seeming pleased he smiled. "Fine, I'll accept that... For now..." _

_Albus smiled back, glad his brother had decided to leave him alone for the time being. "Let's wait for Dad outside," he offered. James nodded, and they went to wait for their father. _

_However, when their father arrived he came bearing the worst news..._

Albus was still reeling from the shock of the newest development in the on-going 'Saga of the Savior,' as The Prophet liked to call it. His father's news at Dominique's birthday had been the worst. Harry Potter, the former Boy-who-lived, was appointed as a White Auror. This elite group of Aurors was assigned to one particular person or group that needed constant supervision. The entire family had been outraged at who Harry had been assigned to...

Lucius Malfoy.

Mrs. Weasely and Ginny Potter had not taken the news very well. In fact, the lady Potter had been enraged. Fleur and her oldest daughter, Victoire, had to take her to the kitchen to calm down with a bit of ice water. And Molly only calmed down after Harry, Ron, and Arthur had promised her everything would be fine. After all, Harry's new charge was never allowed to own a wand or to be alone in the presence of one. Mrs. Weasley took slight comfort in the news. Knowing his mother like he did, Albus was rather surprised that she hadn't been much more upset and slinging curses at the Ministry doors, though he supposed she had seen it coming somehow.

Lucius Malfoy had had several White Aurors assigned to him since his release from Azkaban just three years after the war had ended; however, each Auror had fallen short to the former Death Eater's evil cunning and schemes. Logically, it had only been a matter of time before Harry or Kingsley himself were called in to look after the old Slytherin. What else could be done? Albus reasoned. He would have assigned his father ages ago had it been up to him. And after all, it was no surprise who would fill in as Head Auror once Kingsley finally decided to retire.

After a bit more contemplating, Albus admitted that the job was not as bad as his family thought. He thougt it over multiple times since hearing about it. In all honesty, his father could handle the former Death Eater with his eyes closed and no wand to fight with. And... With his father's closeness to Malfoy Manor, Albus knew Scorpius would be looked after properly. Lucius was a dark, evil man. There was not a doubt in Albus's mind about who kept putting the scars on his friend's body- of course he had seen them! Scorpius could only maintain such a large glamour for so long. Albus saw red at the mere thought of Scorpius being hurt by Lucius. He secretly hoped the old bastard would just suddenly 'kick the bucket,' as the Muggles say.

And while the thought of Lucius Malfoy was enough to make his stomach curl, Albus could not have thought about the youngest Malfoy with more fervor. In the nearly three week absence of the other teen, it had become blatantly obvious that Albus was infatuated with his blonde housemate, and that the infatuation had probably started much earlier than that night in the Prefect's bathroom.

Just whenexactlyhad his desire to befriend the blonde grown into something much deeper than friendship?

Throughout the day Albus would simply go about his own business until something he did reminded him of Scorpius. Each time he recalled the blonde, a pleasant warmth settled in his stomach and had him grinning like an idiot. Lilly had caught him several times just humming to himself around the house, and his brother's Auror training was not boding well for him so far. Both of his siblings were far more perceptive than he liked to admit, and even Teddy had seemed to believe something was wrong with him during his last visit. Both Teddy's and James' power of observation was probably getting him much closer to Albus's source of glee than Albus wanted to believe. Hopefully, James would not be curious enough to pry any more than he had at Dominique's birthday.

_**Scorpius... **_

Three weeks...

It had been almost three weeks since Scorpius had last seen Albus. While it was not unusual for Scorpius to think of the black-haired teen during breaks from school, it had _never_ been customary for him to miss the other teen! It seemed that everything he did ended up reminding him of something Albus had done. And- though it was embarrassing to admit- Scorpius found it hard to bathe without remebering the sight of his naked housemate and the incredibly intimate position he had found in the other's arms. When he thought about it, he could still feel the warmth and support Albus's arms had offered him... Now that his parents were on their trip, Scorpius found himself thinking of those arms more than he'd like to admit.

If his grandfather ever found out about his newly discovered infatuation, he would be more furious than Scorpius ever wanted to imagine him being... And while the newest Auror assigned to Lucius was keeping the old man much less free to torture his grandson, his presence was _not_ helping Scorpius forget about the male consuming his thoughts when he had to see an older version of Albus walk through the doors of Malfoy Manor every single day! Albus was his father's spitting image with the exception of the signature scar and a pair of glasses. How could he look at the Chosen One and _not _think of Albus? It was going to be a long summer...

Scorpius nearly jumped out of his skin when a thin grey hand reached out to grab his knee. "Iggy! What is it?" He patted the elf's hand and chuckled at his jumpy reaction. "You startled me."

"I'm sorrys, Master Scorpius. I did not means to frighten you," the elf bowed. He carefully lifted his hand from his startled master. "But..." The elf stopped, not wanting to continue.

Large green orbs locked onto his own silver eyes, and Scorpius felt his heart sink into his stomach. The news could not be good... "Auror Potter is not coming in todays." Scorpius felt a twinge of fear shoot down his spine at what that implicated. "Master Malfoy i-is... in... his old s-study waiting f-for you," Iggy finished pathetically. Scorpius found that whenever the small creature was upset or frightened he began to stutter.

With a slightly trembling hand, Scorpius put on a brave face for his small friend and patted his bald head. He plastered on a smile and stood from his seat. "Thank you very much, Iggy." He stopped as a small hand wrapped around his wrist. He looked down at the worried House-Elf. "Everything will be fine, Iggy. I promise."

"You always are..." Iggy whispered sadly as he watched his young master walk away, feeling absolutely helpless. There was no mistaking the slight tremble to his master's movements. Scorpius was terrified, and Iggy was helpless to save him. For three weeks, Auror Potter had been able to keep Lucius busy and away from his grandson. It had only been a matter of time before the peace was disrupted once again.

Slowly growing more angry and defeated, Iggy held out his left palm, glaring darkly at the crest and seal branded there. He was branded by the Malfoy crest- not even clothes would free him from the seal on his skin... He would be marked forever. He was forever bound to serve the name Malfoy. Forced forever to be obedient to _all _of his masters.

No one knew better than Iggy how much it truly hurt to watch those close to you suffer, and because of the hold Lucius had over him, he could only stand by and watch as Scorpius was mistreated by the cruel elder... However, Iggy had not allowed Scorpius to suffer alone. _He_ had been the one to help heal the more serious wounds and side effects of the dark hexes and curses. _He_ had been the one to help his Young Master hide the scars from his parents. Iggy knew all too well what Lucius would do if Scorpius told them what really happened when their backs were turned, and the thought alone was enough...

The brand on his palm prevented him from disobeying Lucius, from putting a stop to the abuse once and for all... But it could not stop him from seeking help if Scorpius ever asked for it.

If Master Scorpius would just call out for help... Then Iggy would be bound to obey...

With a soft pop Iggy went to a small cupboard which served as his bedchamber. He pressed an ear to the wall to his left and listened patiently. Lucius Malfoy's hidden study was on the other side. (After the war and before the Aurors had detained the former Death Eater, he had put up several wards and curses to protect his beloved study from detection.) Iggy was not even sure if Master Draco knew where to find it, and had tried countless times to describe its wearabouts; however, every time he tried, he was unable to find the words. Whenever he tried to disobey one of his masters, he grew tongue-tied and stuttered until finally being forced to obey by the seal.

And even while his speech was often handicapped, his ears were able to hear everything. Whenever Lucius called for his grandson, Iggy made sure to listen intently to everything that happened in the room next to his since House-Elves had extraoridnary hearing. If he were ever free of Lucius Malfoy he would be able to give everyone willing to listen an exact account of every torturous thing the old man had done. Iggy payed close attention to every detail, locking everything away in his memory. One day, Lucius Malfoy would pay for all he's done to Scorpius, and Iggy would make sure of it.

Unbeknownst to the room's occupants next door, Iggy sat patiently to wait for a cry of help he would never hear, ready for the chance to aid his Young Master. And even if Scorpius was far too strong to show weakness before his grandafather, Iggy never gave up his listening.

_**Albus...**_

Albus looked around the crowded waiting room of St. Mungo's and sighed... The entire lobby was full of red hair and children who were tired of sitting still. He and Lilly had been enjoying a rare day at the Potter house when none of their cousins were around to bother them, and now here they sat surrounded by the majority of their family.

The morning had started off just like any other morning. James, Harry, and Ginny had left earlier that morning to go to work. And while Lilly spent the morning sleeping in, Albus had woken up early for his customary summer training routine. He started off with a run around the grounds before flying a few laps at the small Quidditch pitch his mom and dad had given each other as a gift for their fourth anniversary. As it was increasingly seeming to happen, Ablus found himself thinking about Scorpius. He saw the blonde every time he started a new lap around the pitch, with each gust of wind as he dived, and each time he flew over the small set of bleachers they used during big family gatherings. He could just imagine Scorpius sitting there amongst a sea of red hair, cheering him on against his cousins. The blonde- though he didn't play- never missed a single game back at school, and Albus liked to think that the blonde went just to see him play- that the years of trying to befriend Scorpius actually meant something to the blonde.

Needless to say, Albus's workout that morning had not been as productive as he wanted. More and more frequently he found himself wishing that the blonde had accepted his offer to spend the summer holidays with him. That way, he wouldn't have to think about the blonde so much- he'd be right there! Yeah, Albus scoffed with another look around the lobby, Right here in St. Mungo's welcoming another cousin into the world.

"Albus, son, don't look so down," Harry chuckled as he took the seat next to his youngest son. "Birth is something to cheer for... even if our family is accustomed to it."

Albus smiled despite himself. Leave it to his father to lighten the mood. "You're right," he said. "And its only a matter of time before Victoire and Teddy make me an uncle!" He and his dad waved over at the married couple who were currently trying to keep their twin charges entertained. Victoire had agreed to babysit for a co-worker while the two took some much needed time on vacation. The first week would be Victoire's turn to watch her friend's twin girls, and then the next week, her friend would take care of Number Twelve.

"Hopefully they'll start soon," Harry said with an amused sigh, "because your mother is dying to get her hands on some grandchildren."

"I don't doubt it," Albus laughed. Then his expression turned serious. "Are you sure its alright for you to be here instead of with _Malfoy_?" he asked with tangible distaste present in the name while it referred to Lucius.

"Kingsley said he'd send Rogers in my place," Harry said with a reassuring pat to his son's back. "Lucius has been surprisingly docile with me around the past few weeks. I expected a lot more trouble from him."

"I'm surprised he hasn't tried to kill you yet," Albus chuckled.

"I'm sure it's crossed his mind, but I doubt he'd try anything with his grandson around."

I'm sure, Albus scoffed internally. Aloud he said, "How is Scorpius?"

"Quiet," Harry answered honestly. "He stays up in his room for the most part."

"Where are his parents?" Scorpius hadn't mentioned them being away for the summer.

"They've gone on a trip somewhere- Greece, if I'm not mistaken. They should be back before summer's over."

"Do you think Mum would mind if Scorpius visited some time?" Albus asked cautiously. Now that he knew the blonde's parents were away, he wanted to get Scorpius away from his grandfather even more.

However, before Harry could respond a loud ring resonated throught the crowded lobby. Every head turned to the source of the ringing- Harry's Auror badge. "Dad, what's that mean?"

"Teddy! James! Come with me," Harry said immediately going into Auror mode. He stood and made to head for the nearest apparation point but Albus grabbed his arm just as James and Albus reached them.

"Dad, what does that ringing mean?"

"It's the alarm for Malfoy Manor," Harry said grimly. "Lucius has gotten his hands on a wand." He turned to his two oldest sons, "Let's go. Tell Angelina and George we're sorry to leave. And Lilly, tell your mother," he called over to Victoire and Lilly. They each nodded in understanding. The three Aurors left as quickly as they could, and no one stopped Albus as he went to follow them.

They couldn't have stopped him if they tried.


	5. Chapter Four: A Trade

**Disclaimer:**This is a non-profit fiction created from my own mind. J.K. Rowling developed all of the original _Harry Potter_ characters and I simply added a few OCs. Ages and dates may also be different from Rowling's original work... Please enjoy!

_**Broken Glasses: Chapter 4**_

It had only taken seconds for Harry, Teddy, James, and Albus to reach Malfoy Manor. Seconds that drug on and on for minutes it seemed to Albus. Luckily, Aurors had special priveleges that allowed for quick, illegal travel. And once word of the wards breaking reached Albus's Uncle Ron, he had decided to come along as well. Ron Weasely had always been counting down the days before Lucius Malfoy finally snapped; however, Albus would sooner allow hell to freeze over before he allowed his uncle the chance to torture the elder Malfoy before he could got some mean curses in himself.

If a single strand of soft blonde hair was harmed on Scorpius's head...

Anger and dread and concern all coursed through Albus as the group made their way through the Manor to locate Lucius who remained no where to be found. There was no sign of either blonde anywhere and Albus began to feel panic pierce his heart as they searched and searched more to no avail.

_**Scorpius...**_

Pain. Intense, white-hot pain was all that Scorpius could feel as he became lost in a whirlwind of hexes, curses, insults... Every time he tried to deflect a curse, another would hit him some place else until he could no longer tell where he was being hit. His entire being ached. Lucius Malfoy had finally lost it, and Scorpius was finally going to be killed. He knew it. If only he had had a chance to tell his parents goodbye. If only he could have seen Al-

Albus...

That's right. He wanted to see Albus at least one more time before he finally died. The dummy would probably smile that ridiculous grin of his that drove witches mad and then rub his hair the way he knew Scorpius hated before saying, "I'm your friend, Scorpius. Everything will be okay, I promise."

Not this time, Scorpius thought as his eyes began burning with a fresh batch of tears he would not shed. Even if it proved to be his last night on earth, he refused to cry in front of the very man who should have spoiled him and loved him almost as much as his own father. Lucius Malfoy was a dark, cold, evil man and Scorpius would not give him the pleasure of his tears, no matter how much it hurt. He would not give in. He had to be strong for his parents and Albus.

Scorpius bit back a scream as a cutting hex hit just below his left eye. Why must he suffer so much? His grandfather's temper had never clouded his reason like this. Before, Scorpius would never be marked in visible places during his 'training'. Lucius was always careful but not tonight. After three weeks of peace with Auror Potter, Scorpius should have known this was waiting for him. Scorpius had finally disappointed him too much. He would never have his chance to tell Albus that he really did consider the other teen a friend, his only friend. He would never get the chance to tell Albus just how much he actually treasured his presence, that stupid lop-sided grin that drove witches mad, and the way he cared so much about _him,_ Scorpius Malfoy- whom everyone avoided or hated... Everyone but Albus.

Scorpius would never have his chance to tell Albus how much he loved him...

Love?

That's right, he loved Albus Potter.

The realization that his feelings for the other teen went much deeper than he had originally believed possible finally brought Scorpius to his knees. The fact he had remained standing as long as he had was a miracle he would never be able to understand. The curses stopped for a brief moment as Lucius snarled at his grandson. "Get up!" he spat. "I did not raise you to be weak!" And even though Scorpius knew what would come for disobeying, he could push himself to be strong no more. He had no more will left within him at all, and above every physical wound Lucius had inflicted, the part of Scorpius that ached the most was his heart. It began to crumble within his chest as images of his parents and Albus flashed before his eyes.

"I said get up! I'm not done with you yet," Lucius growled. When Scorpius made no move to get up, Lucius slung another curse at him. _"Crucio!"_

Scorpius cried out louder than he ever had before when the Unforgivable hit him right in the center of his chest. He threw back his head and screamed his agony for everything he was worth. Only when his voice was finally hoarse from his screams did Lucius release the curse. Scorpius fell forward onto his hands and knees desperately trying to catch his breath. A mixture of blood and sweat ran down his trembling arms as he struggled to keep himself lifted from the floor.

"Why is it that whenever I intsruct you to do something, you do the exact opposite?" Lucius snarled. "I tell you to get up, and you fall over." He walked over to his grandson's heaving side and bent down low to his ear. "I tell you to kill Albus Potter, and you become his friend!" He used a dragon hide covered foot to harshly kick Scorpius's side.

Scorpius gritted his teeth and just managed to avoid falling over. "I suppose I should have learned my lesson after your father failed me. What made me think that you would do any better?" He kicked the younger Malfoy again, harder.

This time, Scorpius could not keep himself from falling.

_**Albus...**_

As the group of Aurors walked around the manner in search of Lucius, Albus felt the oddest sensation of being watched. Every corridor they turned down seemed to have eyes trained on him. The stares combined with the worry that Lucius might have left the Manor with Scorpius in tow, and Albus's nerves were on end. While his family tore apart the library looking for any sign of hidden entrances, Albus stormed out. Searching the rooms again would waste precious time- valuable time that he could not afford to lose. He could take it no more. "Who's there!" he called to the empty corridor. They were not alone in the Manor. There was another presence even if it wasn't Lucius and Scorpius.

Before Albus could call out again, he felt a small hand wrap itself firmly around his forearm before they disapparated with a loud crack. A few seconds later, Albus was pushed against the wall of what appeared to be a large cupboard. "I is Iggy, Master Potter. You are the friend of my master Scorpius? He is in bad troubles, sir."

Albus stared into the large eyes of the small creature and saw his own worry and anger mirrored in them. "I am. You know where Lucius has Scorpius? He _is _still here, isn't he? What trouble?" he asked gently gripping the creatures thin shoulders. Finally! He could get Scorpius away from his demented grandfather once and for all.

Iggy bowed his head in shame and simply nodded over to the wall Albus had been pushed against. "In there?" Albus asked, his temper flaring up as he pressed his ear to the wall. The sounds of angry yelling and cursing faintly drifted through the barrier. "Why haven't you stopped it?"

"I is bound by Malfoy blood," Iggy said growing angry himself- a first for Albus. His Aunt Hermione had always fought for the freedom of House Elves, but Albus had never met an elf that actually wanted freedom, and he had certainly never met an elf who showed anger so blatantly. "Master Lucius has forbidden Iggy to stop him! I has tried!" he exclaimed holding out his branded hand. There was fresh blood around the brand and it looked red and irritated, as if it had been burned all over again. "If Master Scorpius would only call out for help- I have to obey then!"

"Can I get into that room?" Albus asked. It was not Iggy's fault Lucius had bound him by blood. Iggy could not disobey even though he wanted to.

"It is too hidden, sir," Iggy said defeated. "Dark magic and wards." His ears perked up and his eyes widened in a way that made Albus's heart sink. "Young Master!"

"What is it?"Albus exclaimed as he pressed his ear back to the wall. "What'd you hear?"

"I _can't_ hear it!" Iggy cried as he pressed his own ear to the wall.

"Hear what?" Albus asked even as his throat threatened to clench shut.

"His heartbeat..." Iggy pressed both of his small, worn hands on the wall and shut his eyes, as if willing the wall to open by itself.

Albus's mind barely registered what Iggy had said before his body was moving of its own accord. With one swift motion his fists were slammed against the wall. "Scorpius!" he screamed. "If you can hear me, just say help!" he exclaimed. "Goddammit, Lucius- you bastard! When I get in there, I will bloody kill you!" Albus punched the wall one more time, feeling the skin break over his knuckles.

He was going to kill Lucius Malfoy.

_**Scorpius...**_

"Scorpius!"

Albus? Scorpius thought even as he felt the fingers of unconsciousness pulling him into a deep sleep, but this time he would not be waking up. His pulse was so low he could hardly feel it himself. Perhaps he was already dead and on his way to heaven. Would he be able to hear Albus there? That would be nice.

"If you can hear me, just say help!"

Help?

That's right. Albus always managed to show up right when Scorpius needed him.

"Goddammit, Lucius- you bastard! When I get in there, I will bloody kill you!"

"Well, it looks like you were useful after all," Lucius smirked as he looked over to the wall where Albus's voice had come from. The voice was unmistakable. Albus Potter, hand-delivered! One should never send a child to do a man's job, Lucius thought as a new plan struck him. "I'll just kill the brat myself."

Scorpius, with his body broken and bloodied, could not be strong anymore. He felt a single tear slide down his cheek and onto the floor as he mustered up the last bit of strength he had left. "Help," he whispered before his eyes fell shut.

_**Albus...**_

"I've sent my father a patronus to tell them where we are," Albus said as he knelt back next to wall. "Why did you only bring me?"

"Master Scorpius trusts you," Iggy answered softly. His ear was still pressed to the wall. Albus had remained quiet so the elf could listen with ease. And just one minute after Albus's angry threat, their patience paid off. "He's done it! He's called for help!"

"Good! Get me inside!" Albus exclaimed as he jumped up with his wand at the ready. As soon as he got into that room he was going to introduce Lucius Malfoy to the last curse he would ever hear.

Iggy grabbed his hand after a quick of snap of his fingers. The magical barriers around the room crumbled before Albus's eyes as Iggy apparated them inside...

Once inside, Albus felt as if his entire world was beginning to crumble around him. The only logical explanation for the scene unfolding before him was that he was having a very vivid nightmare... Right?

Wrong.

Scorpius lay in the middle of the floor with blood beginning to pool around his waist and legs. His body was scarred, hexed, bruised, cut, and Albus felt sick with rage when he couldn't see the rise and fall of Scorpius's chest. Was he too late?

"No!" he exclaimed as his eyes burned with the threat of tears from anger and hurt. He fell to the floor next to Scorpius and gently checked his pulse. "Iggy, come get Scorpius and take him to my father!" he ordered frantically as he searched the room for Lucius. He spotted him behind a desk with his feet propped up haughtily. "Look what you've done! I'm going to fucking kill you!" With a loud crack Iggy and Scorpius were gone. Albus jumped up and glared darkly at Lucius, wand drawn. "_Ava_-"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lucius drawled as he shook a finger at Albus. "I've got something you may need if you ever want to see my grandson alive again." He held out his right fist and unclenched it. There was a small glowing orb of golden light hovering just above his palm. Albus felt his eyes widen and his anger grew even more. "So you know what this is?"

"Don't play games with me. Scorpius needs that," Albus growled. When Lucius made no move to simply hand the orb over, Albus lowered his wand so it was pointed at his chest. "My father would never use an Unforgivable, but _I _would sleep better at night knowing that I'd been the one to end you."

"Scorpius did mention something about you being sorted into Slytherin," Lucius said indifferently. "It was the perfect opening he needed, but still he failed." With each word he bounced the glowing ord in his hand, playing with it as if it were a toy.

"Opening for what?" Albus asked as his eyes followed the orb as it went up and down. Scorpius would die for sure if Lucius broke that orb.

"To kill you, of course," Lucius said with a dark smile. "Why else would I have to train Scorpius, to bind him with that same spell I've got on the blasted House Elf?"

"What spell?" Albus asked with his wand still concentrated on the old man.

"Not as observant as your father," Lucius chuckled. "Pity. The spitting image of Harry Potter, yet I see no resemblance."

Albus took a few cautious steps forward, several hexes at the tip of his tongue. "Your petty mindgames won't work on me," he said darkly. "I don't need your approval and neither does Scorpius. I don't care why you've targeted me, but I suppose its because you know you could never get at my father. You're weak. So weak, in fact, that you would lay such a hefty responsibility on a child!" He shook his head, "The Malfoy name has fallen quite far, hasn't it?"

Lucius's steel grey eyes hardened as he gripped the golden orb and slowly stood to his full height. If Albus weren't currently so angry at the man for all the pain he had caused Scorpius, he would have considered the former Death Eater highly intimidating. "You listen to me, _boy_," Lucius spat, "simply killing your enemy is a means to an end. If you want to really make it hurt, find out his weakness." He smiled darkly, "And your father's weakness is you and the rest of your wretched family." He walked around his desk and towards Albus. "You were chosen for my own benefit- it will kill your father to lose you and it will bring me great joy because of your uncanny resemblance."

"I will not be taken down so easily," Albus said. He would not fall to Lucius Malfoy without a fight, if he fell at all.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Lucius said as the sounds of yelling and banging could be heard from the walls. "And it appears as if we've only got a few seconds before that damn uncle of yours breaks through the walls." He held out his hand with the orb. "If you would like to save Scorpius, all you have to do is take his place- Potters are good at self-sacrifice." Albus gritted his teeth to avoid a sarcastic reply to the biting remark. "I have a potion prepared that will run its course in eight month-"

"Why eight? What potion?" Albus interrupted. Scorpius had suffered enough in his life, so if there was a chance that Albus could save him, he would take it. No matter what it cost him.

"I can't just kill you with a wave of my wand now can I? I'll get the kiss for sure," Lucius replied with a light chuckle. "I cannot possibly be blamed if you die eight months from now and I'm wasting away in Azkaban. The name of the potion is unnecessary. I can't allow you to get your mudblood of an aunt to develop a cure." He stepped closer to Albus and nodded down at the orb. "Scorpius will die within the next hour if he doesn't get this back soon. You want to save him, right?" His cold grey eyes locked onto Albus's green ones, surely seeing the answer to his question.

"If I agree, I'll take the potion, you'll go to Azkaban where you can never hurt Scorpius again, and I'll get eight months to say goodbye..." Albus stated rather than asked. The banging was getting louder and louder.

"Just a simple potion and then Scorpius is free to carry on without hearing from me ever again." He smirked, "I'm getting the better end of this bargain- one worthless grandson in exchange for the second son of Harry Potter."

Albus glared at the crazed, former Death Eater standing before him. Never in a million years had he imagined that he would be in a situation like this. Lucius Malfoy was trying to make a deal with him, offering himself to the horrors of Azkaban. It was all too unbelievable. There must be a catch, something that Albus missed... But when his eyes landed on the golden orb of light, he knew that he had no other choice. A wizard could only last so long after his magical core was removed from his body... And there was no guarantee that it wasn't already too late to save Scorpius...

And just one thought of the blonde's silver eyes and long blonde hair made Albus that much more determined. If it was too late, then so be it. Albus would rather die and be with Scorpius in heaven than not do everything in his power to save him. He looked back into Lucius's eyes. "Scorpius isn't worthless," he growled, offering his hand. "Deal."

Lucius smiled evilly and grabbed Albus's hand to seal the bargain...


	6. Chapter Five: Rescue

**Disclaimer:**This is a non-profit fiction created from my own mind. J.K. Rowling developed all of the original _Harry Potter_ characters and I simply added a few OCs. Ages and dates may also be different from Rowling's original work... Please enjoy!

**NOTE**: This chapter is the shortest so far, but I feel like the end is a good ending. It's not exactly a cliff-hanger, but it _is _a good stopping place. The next chapter will be back up to the usual length of 3000+ words. It will also be full of explanations on behalf of Scorpius and his life of abuse up until now.

_**Broken Glasses: Chapter 5**_

"Albus, what are you doing?"

Albus ignored his father's question as he pushed passed him and immediately went to Iggy's side. The small elf was working furiously over Scorpius to heal some of the smaller wounds. "Here," Albus said holding out the golden orb.

"He removed his magic?" Harry growled as he knelt down next to his son.

"Iggy cannot touch it, sirs!" Iggy exclaimed throwing his hands back. "You must do it."

Albus looked down at the orb in his hand, noting that its light had dimmed slightly since he had first seen it. Then his eyes landed on Scorpius's face, the cut under his eye, the bruise forming on his cheek, his busted lip. He gently reached up to brush a stray strand of blonde hair from his face. "I hope its not too late," he whispered as he carefully placed the orb of light on Scorpius's chest before slowly pressing it down. He felt his father place a hand on his shoulder in support. And after the orb disappeared beneath Scorpius's shirt, all they could do was wait. "Please don't be too late..."

**DrarryTLA**

"You sick son of a bitch!" Ron Weasley spat as he pulled the former Death Eater from the floor. He had been waiting years for the chance to have Lucius Malfoy in his custody.

"Oh, spare me, blood traitor," Lucius said unaffected by Ron's venom. "The only thing that makes me sick is having to be in the same room as you."

James and Teddy stood back while their uncle proceded to punch Lucius in the face. "Don't worry," Ron snarled, "I feel the same way." He threw Lucius back to the ground and nodded at his two nephews. "Get him bound up. I'll take him to Harry while the two of you investigate this room." He smiled at Lucius while James and Teddy used their wands to bind him. "I'm pretty sure there's enough Dark Arts in this room to lock you away for a few lifetimes."

"The wand alone should be enough to do that," Teddy said as he picked up said wand from the floor while James handed Lucius over to Ron. "This is Rogers' wand. What have you done with him?"

"A better question would be, what has he done with himself?" Lucius smirked. "He was being nosy and got himself obliviated by one of my father's old portraits." After a persuasive shove from Ron, Lucius kept going. "I had my House-Elf escort him to St. Mungo's."

"How kind," Teddy and James said together. "After all," Teddy continued, "you can't torture a defenseless kid with an Auror breathing down your neck."

"Never stopped me before," Lucius chuckled darkly. At the comment, three wands were raised and ready to fire of hexes.

"Come again?"James growled. He knew how much his little brother liked Scorpius. They were friends according to Albus, so hearing that the blonde had been abused before was news to James. He was beginning to see red, finally understanding his Unlce Ron's absolute loathing towards Lucius Malfoy.

The Elder Malfoy just smirked with a raised eyebrow, remaining silent. When it was clear that he had no intention to elaborate, Teddy walked over to the large desk off to the side and noticed an empty potion vial carelessly thrown on top. "What potion was this?" he asked picking the vial up.

"What does it matter to you?" Lucius scoffed after a few moments of silence.

Ron grabbed his hair and pulled. "Answer the question, Death Eater," he spat.

Lucius merely chuckled. "I'm an old man, mutt," he said nodding at the vial in Teddy's hands. "It was a simple potion to strengthen my old bones. Azkaban doesn't exactly have a Medi-witch on staff."

"Let's go," Ron growled growing tired of Lucius's arrogance. "Your old cell is waiting for you."

"I can't wait," Lucius smiled evilly. Teddy and James were completely unnerved by the sight. Neither man knew exactly why the old Slytherin was smiling, but they knew it was not a good sign.

If only they knew how right they really were...

**DrarryTLA**

"We need to get him to St. Mungo's," Harry said gently as they kneeled next to Scorpius. The blonde hadn't moved, even with his magical core returned. "Son, he needs a Healer."

"Not St. Mungo's!" Iggy exclaimed in fear as he kept working over his Master. "Anywhere but theres! Iggy is begging, sir."

"Why not?" Albus whispered grabbing hold of one of Scorpius's hands. It was as cold as ice. "He'll die if we don't do something." Just the thought alone was enough to cause a huge lump in his room felt like it was beginning to close in around him. He was absolutely terrified, and it was not because of the potion he had taken only moments before Lucius allowed him out of the seceret study. He was scared to death of losing the pale blonde right in front of him. Scorpius's life was slipping away right before his eyes and he was completely powerless to stop it.

"Master Draco and the M-m-mistress cannot k-know young M-master w-was h-h-here," Iggy began to stutter. "Sc-sc-scorpius b-begged Iggy not to t-tell. P-please, Harry Potter, s-s-sir."

Before Harry could reply, Ron, James, and Teddy emerged from the study with Lucius in tow. "Teddy," he said making his decision, "Head back to the hospital right now and grab Victoire. Bring her back home to take care of Scorpius, but tell her not to tell anyone else." Teddy nodded and turned on his heel to do as he was told. "James," Harry said calling out to his other son as he stood from Albus's side, "Help Ron get Lucius to Azkaban. We'll send a team back over here tomorrow to collect any evidence from the study. For now, I want him locked up so fast his eyes can't adjust to the darkness before the Dementors welcome him back." As he spoke, he had moved closer and closer to the bound Lucius. He grabbed the Malfoy patriarch's chin and angled his cold eyes to meet his. "You better hope for your sake that he pulls through."

"Or what?" Lucius snarled as he pulled his head from the Auror's grasp.

"I'll kill you myself," Harry snarled back. And if Lucius had been a lesser individual, he would have been very frightened to have gotten on the boy-who-lived's bad side. "Get him out of here."

"With pleasure," Ron said with a dark smile. "We'll even take the scenic route," which was his way of saying that he planned to throw a few curses of his own before leaving Lucius to the will of Azkaban's guards and Dementors. He and James took Lucius away.

"Albus, let's get him out of here," Harry said placing a hand on his youngest son's shoulder. "Iggy, can we move him."

"H-he should b-be fine to move now," Iggy said with only a minor stutter. Harry noted that the small creature must only stutter when he's scared or nervous.

"I'll do it," Albus said stopping his father as he bent down to pick Scorpius up. Harry nodded and moved out of the way. "Don't leave me, Scorpius," Albus whispered low enough for only Scorpius to hear as he bent over to carefully pick him up. He cradled the blonde close to his chest, treating him as carefully as he would treat a priceless antique that could break at the slightest bump. He carried the blonde all the way out to the front hall of the Manor, Iggy following closely behind.

"Make sure you've got a good hold of him," Harry instructed as they stopped walking. "We're about to Apparate." He placed a firm hand on his son's arm and pulled out his wand.

"Come on, Iggy," Albus said nodding at the small House-Elf. Scorpius might be happy to see him once he woke up, _if _he woke-

And Albus stopped that thought from going any further. Scorpius _would_ be waking up, he would make sure.

Iggy's eyes grew wide before he smiled, grabbing hold of Albus's other arm. They disappeared with a loud pop...

**DrarryTLA**

The only thing Scorpius could feel when he woke up was the fact that every single part of his body was sore. His legs, his arms, his head, his back, and there was a weight on his stomach that he couldn't describe. It was warm, he could feel its hear through the blanket covering his body. When he opened his eyes the first thing he noticed was that he was not in any room the Manor had. And the second thing he noticed was that the weight on his stomach was a human head, a head of familiar black hair. He could not stop the smile that lit up his face or the warmth that immediately spread all over his body. "Albus?" he called gently placing a hand in the unruly hair.

"Young Master?" Iggy called as he jumped up from the floor at the foot of the bed. His clothes were disheveled and his voice a little groggy. Scorpius gathered that he had been asleep.

"Iggy, what are you doing here?" Scorpius asked not removing his hand from Albus's hair. "Where are we?"

"We are at Master Potter's," Iggy said smiling. He threw his little arms around Scorpius neck once he jumped up on the bed. "We was worried very much!"

"Who was?" Scorpius asked looking down at Albus, who was still sound asleep. "Wait, did you say Master Potter's?"

Iggy nodded enthusiastically. "Iggy told Master Harry and Master Albus that they could not take you to St. Mungo's. They was bad to you the last time," Iggy said referring to the first and last time Scorpius had been taken to St. Mungo's. He had been giving the wrong potion to cure the Dragon Pox he had had, but perhaps it was just because of who had brought him and not because of who he was. Lucius had made quite sure to give his muggleborn Healer hell. Scorpius didn't blame the Healer for being angry. "And young Master's parents cannot know what Master Lucius did."

Scorpius smiled down at the House-Elf who had always been there to help him. "Thank you, Iggy." He patted his large head with the hand not running its fingers through black locks. "Now who was worried about me?" he asked.

"Me and Master Albus," Iggy smiled jumping off the bed. "He has been sitting in that chair for two days, sir."

"Two days?"

Iggy nodded. "You was hurt real bad. Madam Victoire was the one taking cares of you. She gave you strong medicine to make you sleep." He walked over to a closet across the room to grab a blanket, and only then did Scorpius notice that he was in a bedroom, not a guest room. There were posters of Quidditch all over the blue walls, and they were all signed by the featured player or team. He was lying in a huge four-poster with navy blue and grey bedding, a stuffed snowy owl at the foot of the bed. On the right wall there stood a large wardrobe with a Slytherin tie hanging precariously on the top.

He was in Albus's room.

"You mean he hasn't slept?" Scorpius asked around the lump forming in his throat. Just when he thought he would never see Albus again, he goes and does the nicest thing anyone has ever done for him. Albus gave up his own room and time and sleep to watch over him?

"Not until Madam Victoire and Master Harry made him take a Sleeping Drought," Iggy replied as he gently wrapped the blanket he had gotten around the sleeping teen's shoulders.

"When did she give him the Drought?" Scorpius asked with a small frown. He hated to be so selfish, but he wanted Albus to wake up.

"A few hours ago," replied the voice Scorpius had most wanted to hear since he woke up. Albus lifted his head from Scorpius's stomach and smiled that damned lop-sided grin.

Scorpius wasted no time and practically threw himself on top of Albus. He wrapped his arms around his neck as tightly as he could and buried his face in his neck. Albus chuckled and hugged him back, wrapping his arms around his waist.

After a few seconds of silence Albus tightened his grip on Scorpius's waist and gently whispered, "I thought I was going to lose you."

Scorpius felt his eyes begin to water as he smiled into the embrace. "I'm glad you didn't."

"Me too," Albus chuckled, and even though he would rather do anything else than let the blonde in his arms go, he knew that Victoire could walk in at any moment. She would go all kinds of mental if she saw Scorpius pushing himself too hard. "Scorpius," he whispered, "if my sister-in-law comes in and sees you out of bed, she'll be pretty upset." He rubbed soothing circles into Scorpius's back, "And you do not want to make her upset. She's part Veela."

"And what exactly does that have to do with anything?" called an annoyed female voice from the doorway.

Albus smiled and gently pushed Scorpius back until he was lying down again. "Nothing, Victoire."

"I thought I put you to sleep," Victoire tsked as she crossed the room and stopped on the opposite side of the bed as Albus. She smiled down at the blonde. "Hello, Scorpius. My name is Victoire Weasley-Lupin, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

Scorpius simply reached over and pulled the older woman into a hug. "Thank you for saving me."

Victoire felt her heart felt at the sentiment as she gently hugged back. "I merely finished what your darling little House-Elf started," she said after Scorpius released her. "He's quite the little Healer." Iggy blushed and looked down at the floor. "And you be glad Albus got to you in time. Any longer without your core,and you would have been quite unfortunate." She waved her wand over his body, running diagnostics.

"He took out my core?" Scorpius asked with wide eyes as he rubbed a sore spot on his chest.

"You don't remember?" Albus asked grabbing the hand that had been toying with his hair while he slept. "Lucius was just about ready to kill you when Iggy found me."

Victoire finished her tests and put her wand away. "You're recovering beautifully," she said with a dazzling smile. She grabbed one of Iggy's hands, "We'll leave you two alone to talk, and I'll be back to check on you in about twenty minutes." Neither teen acknowledged her as she disppeared with Iggy in tow.

Albus held out his hand that had held the golden orb. "They didn't show up until yesterday," he said showing Scorpius his palm.

Scorpius frowned at the sight of several golden burns on Albus's palm. He gently traced the swirling patterns with his finger. He figured he would have matching marks on his chest where Albus returned his core, but he would check later. "Where is my grandfather?"

"Wasting away in Azkaban for the rest of his life," Albus said softly. His green eyes met eyes of pure silver. "He's never going to hurt you again."

"Promise?" Scorpius asked as he squeezed Albus's hand in his own.

"I promise," Albus replied as he gently rasied Scorpius's hand to his lips before gently kissing the words etched onto his skin.


	7. Chapter Six: A Game

**Disclaimer:**This is a non-profit fiction created from my own mind. J.K. Rowling developed **all** of the original _Harry Potter_ characters and I simply added a few OCs. Ages and dates may also be different from Rowling's original work... Please enjoy!

Not proof-read! :D

_**Broken Glasses: **_**Chapter 6 **

_**Scorpius... **_

"How are you feeling, dear?" Ginny Weasley asked as she walked into her son's room with a tray of food. It was piled high with waffles and fresh fruit.

"I'm feeling perfect, Mrs. Potter," Scorpius said with a smile as he propped himself up on the mass of pillows Albus had given him. It seemed like a new pillow was added every day.

"Just call me Ginny," Ginny said with a smile as she walked over to the bed and carefully set the tray across Scorpius's lap. "Where's Albus?"

"Shower," Scorpius answered with a slight blush as he tucked his hair behind his ears. He hadn't had time to pull it back that morning. Victoire's Dreamless Sleeping Drought had been stronger than usual the night before.

After only a week Ginny could honestly say that she absolutely adored Scorpius. He was so polite and innocent. When her husband and sons had left St. Mungo's the other day, she had feared the worst. What if Lucius had gotten one of her precious babies? What would her sister-in-law do if Ron had gotten hurt or worse? She had been prepared to seek vengeance on the former Death Eater if her family had been hurt, but she had not been prepared for state Scorpius was in when she got home. She hadn't seen one person that hurt since the War. She was so glad that Victoire was able to heal the poor blonde in time, and it had been a miracle in itself that Ginny had been able to calm Albus down. She had never seen her youngest son so worried.

And Ginny, as perceptive as she was, did not fail to notice the blonde's blush at the mention of her youngest son. Call it a mother's intuition, but Ginny was rather certain that the blonde quietly enjoying her homemade waffles had a crush on Albus. "I suppose he just got in from his work-out?"

Scorpius swallowed his bite of strawberry and waffle before nodding his head yes. "He was only out for about twenty minutes."

"Well he hardly leaves your side for a moment," Ginny said with a gentle smile as she picked up the napkin on the tray to wipe a bit of syrup from the blonde's chin. "I'm surprised he's been out to excercise at all." She giggled when Scorpius's face turned red at both her words and actions. More motherly intuition told her that Albus returned the blonde's feelings. Perhaps she should try and help the two boys out...

"I t-told him he could have his b-bed back," Scorpius said avoiding eye contact.

"He's used to sharing his room with a cousin or two during the Holidays," Ginny smiled. She stood from the bed and walked over to the cot Albus had brought in to sleep on. She straightened up the pillow and folded the quilt down so it didn't look so disorderly. "Just tell him that there are plenty of waffles downstairs if he's hungry when he gets out of the shower."

"Yes, m'amn," Scorpius said with a smile. Ginny waved back over to him before closing the door behind her. Maybe Victoire would help her meddle. Albus would probably hold back because he was worried about what the family would do, and Ginny was prepared to let her family have it if they got in the way. Who ever makes her son happy is who he deserves and who he will have if Ginny could help it.

_**Albus...**_

Albus sighed in relief as the hot water from his shower washed over him. His workout had been rather short that morning. His workouts were growing shorter and shorter. Before, he would always have Scorpius on his mind, and while he still had Scorpius on his mind, the blonde was actually there. Albus found that the blonde was more distracting in person than he was before. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with Scorpius, and he had been told that the family would be dropping by later. They were celebrating the birth of another cousin. He needed to tell Scorpius to be prepared for anything, especially if Rose was coming over.

Albus frowned at the thought of his female cousin. Honestly, Rose Weasley was the only cousin- out of several- that Albus could not stand. Ever since they were little Rose would pick fights with him, she would always compete with him, and she always seemed to be mad at him for seemingly no reason at all. And when they finally made it to Hogwarts, Rose transferred most of her bad attitude to Scorpius.

Albus needed to keep Rose away from Scorpius. Now that they were all home for the summer, Rose would not be bound by the rules of Hogwarts. She could be quite nasty when she was upset.

No longer wanting to dwell on thoughts of his cousin, Albus turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed his towel and rubbed it on his head before sliding it over the rest of his body. He could smell the inviting scent of fresh waffles wafting in from his room. His mom must have brought Scorpius some breakfast, and now, he was starving.

However, when Albus reached out to grab his clothes from the counter, his hand met the marble counter top. He had forgotten to grab clean clothes! "Crap," Albus muttered as he wrapped the towel around his waist. There was nothing for it. He would just have to got get some clothes from his room, with Scorpius watching, and while he was naked. "Don't fall off, you," he ordered as he tightened the towel around his waist.

_**Scorpius...**_

Scorpius sat in silence as he enjoyed the breakfast Mrs. Potter had brought him. Every morning that he had been awake, he had been brought a home-cooked breakfast. More often than not, he was never able to finish the huge plates of food by himself. His face began to heat up as he thought of his favorite part of breakfast. Albus would get out of his shower and come over just in time to finish what Scrorpius could not. Scorpius, now that he had admitted his feelings to himself, he was unashamed to enjoy every bit of the time he spent with Albus. When Albus joined him on the bed to eat, there was plenty enough room for Scorpius to scoot over, but he never did. The fresh scent of Albus's body wash and the warmth left over on his skin from the hot water of his shower always made Scorpius feel warm. Being close to Albus was all the medicine he needed. Even if he didn't practice dark arts like his grandfather, he was in Slytherin for a reason. Albus didn't need to know there was extra room on the bed.

Scorpius smiled as he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, but promptly dropped his knife and fork once Albus stepped out. "Good morning," Scorpius muttered as his eyes followed a drop of water that fell from Albus's towel-tusseled hair and ran down the entire expanse of his bare chest until it hit the top of the towel around his waist.

"Good morning," Albus chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. Scorpius watched his muscles strecth at the action. "I forgot to grab clean clothes. Sorry about all this," Albus added with a wave down to his towel-clad body. He walked over to grab some clothes.

"N-no problem," Scorpius said clearing his throat, finally able to tear his eyes away from Albus. He felt even more flustered at that moment than he did in the Prefect's bathroom, and Albus had ended up completely naked that time. Perhaps it was because he was currently in Albus's bedroom _and_ bed. And at that thought, Scorpius's head was filled by thoughts he had never had before. His entire face lit up with a blush as he tried to get the very provocative images out of his head. Why was he thinking about those types of things?

"Scorpius, did you hear what I said?" Albus asked with a slight frown as he walked over to the bed with his clothes bundled under his right arm. He gently placed his left hand on Scorpius's forhead to feel for a fever. His face was flushed. "Do you feel okay?"

"I feel fine," Scorpius smiled. "What did you say?" he asked looking up at Albus.

"I said that the family is coming over," Albus smiled as he rubbed the blonde's silky hair. "I like your hair down."

"Thanks," Scorpius smiled before what Albus told him finally sunk it. "Would it be alright to assume that Rose will be coming too?"

"It's rather adorable when you pout like that," Albus teased as he turned to go back to the bathroom. "And yes, Rose will probably be coming over as well."

"Joy," Scorpius muttered sarcastically. He heard Albus chuckle as he walked into the bathroom. "Save me some waffles!" Albus called before shutting the door.

**DrarryTLA**

"How was he?" Harry asked as his wife walked back into the kitchen. He grabbed the bowl of blueberries and poured a few more onto his plate.

"Fine," Ginny said with a smile as she bent down to give her husband a light kiss. "Do you think he's up to having guests? The family might be a bit much for him."

Harry chuckled before pulling Ginny down onto his lap. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Albus won't let anything bad happen."

"You picked up on it too?" Ginny giggled as she took her husband's knife and fork before feeding him a bite of waffle and blueberry.

"Of course I did. You should have seen him the day we brought him back from Malfoy Manor," Harry smiled around the bite of food. He swallowed the bite as Lilly walked into the kitchen still clad in her Harpies pajamas.

"Are you two talking about the fact that Albus is madly in love with our new house guest?" Lilly asked with a yawn as she fixed herself a plate of waffles and pulled the bowl of peach slices over so only she could reach them. "What?" she asked when she looked up from her plate and noticed her parents both giving her a weird look. "I'm the nosy, yet highly intelligent, little sister. It's my job to know these things." She poured a large amount of syrup onto her plate of waffles and poured it over the bowl of peaches.

"Alright then," Harry chuckled. "Our son is love with the son of Draco Malfoy, our old school rival. I don't exactly see that going over very well with the Malfoys."

"Do they know what happened yet?" Ginny asked with a slight frown.

"They know that Lucius got his hands on a wand, violating the terms of his release form Azkaban after the war. They were under the assumption that Scorpius had been staying with a friend from school. Iggy said they don't even know about the abuse," Harry said with a frown. "Scorpius didn't want to worry them."

"I could just kill that old bastard," Ginny muttered darkly.

"Mum!" Lilly laughed. "You just cursed."

"It's only okay when Lucius Malfoy is involved," Ginny said sternly. Harry and Lilly rolled their eyes. "Eat your breakfast!" Ginny huffed as she jumped up and walked over to the sink to wash some dishes. "Harry, get home as soon as you can since George and Angelina are coming over with the baby. And I'd like you to talk to Scorpius about everything that's happened."

"What if he doesn't want to talk about it?" Harry asked finishing his breakfast. Scorpius had been pretty adamant about keeping to himself. And then Iggy had been even more adamant than his master about not telling Draco and his wife. Harry drank one last sip of his pumpkin juice and walked his dirty dishes to his wife.

"Harry, wouldn't you want to know if Albus or Lilly or James or Teddy had been physically and mentally abused for years under your roof and you had been completely unaware?" Ginny looked up at her husband. "How would you feel if one of our children were in Scorpius's place?"

Harry looked into his wife's eyes, noting the intense look of concern and worry in them. "I would want to beat the bloody hell out of the one who even _tried _to hurt my son," he answered seriously. "I'll talk to him tomorrow since I'm off work and see if I can get him to tell his parents."

"Thanks, dear," Ginny smiled. "Have a good day at work." She leaned over to kiss her husband goodbye.

"I'll be home soon," Harry smiled. He walked over to the table and kissed the top of Lilly's head. "Keep an eye on your brothers."

"Aye, captain," Lilly smiled around her bite of peaches.

**A few hours later...**

"I haven't seen Rose all evening," Scorpius laughed as he drank another cup of pumpkin juice.

"I'm glad to see you so excited," Albus chuckled as he offered his own cup. Scorpius had been drinking a lot since he woke up. Victoire had told him to stay hydrated; it would help his body heal and accept all the medicines she made him take.

"Albus!" called an overly boisterous male voice. It was his cousin Louis, Victoire's youngest brother- well only brother. "Seven o'clock!"

Albus grabbed Scorpius's hand and hastily pulled him out of the library where they had been enjoying a few peaceful moments. The Potter House was always so loud when the family got together. "Rose is heading this way," Albus explained even though Scorpius had already grown accustomed to the odd code passing from cousin to cousin. Apparently, it was an old game that the Potter-Weasley children had developed. One cousin- who was selected by way of majority rule- would be 'it.' Every other cousin had to avoid the chosen cousin or admit defeat and be tagged 'out', thus losing the game. The last cousin standing would be awarded immunity of being 'it' for the next game. Rose had been chosen as 'it' this time around, and Scorpius was pretty certain that the girl did not enjoy this little fact. Was she even aware that they were playing?

Of course, it made Scorpius very happy when Albus told him that he had been the one to win immuntity at the end of _every _game. "What does seven o'clock mean?" he asked curiously as Albus pulled him to the stairwell. It looked like they would be moving downstairs.

"Well, it actually means something different depending on what floor of the Manor we're on," Albus said with a smile. "Just then it meant that Rose was coming straight for the library from the bathroom on the left side of the hall. Had we been outside, it would have meant that Rose would be coming from the Quidditch pitch."

"You have your own pitch?" Scorpius asked in awe.

"Of course we do," Albus chuckled. The excitement in Scorpius's silver eyes was enough to make his heart start racing with its own excitement. "Would you like to go see it?"

Scorpius nodded enthusiastically. He hadn't ridden a broom in ages! "Can we play?" he asked smally, not wanting to get his hopes up.

"Victoire may not be too happy with that idea," Albus said as he pulled Scorpius towards the kitchen and to a closet by the back door. He did not fail to notice the crestfallen look that appeared on the blonde's face. "But I won't tell her if you won't." Scorpius's face lit up once more as Albus pulled open the closet door, revealing several different broom models and Quidditch gear. He reached inside to grab his father's old _Firebolt- _his father had had it repaired after the war, and Albus was very fond of old brooms. (On more than one occasion, he had found himself compelled to bring out his favored _Nimbus 2000_.) "Pick one."

"Are you sure?" Scorpius asked even as his eyes studied every broom. He had always loved flying, but was never really allowed to fly at home. His grandfather would either destroy his brooms or his parents would too worried about his safety. He had nearly been shot out of the sky several times when he accidentally flew out of the safety of the Manor wards. His eyes landed on a broom and he knew that it was the one for him. He carefully grabbed it.

"Ten after six!" Lilly called aloud from the den.

"Let's go," Albus whispered into Scorpius's ear. He pulled the blonde's hand- which he had yet to let go of- and opened the door to get outside. The sun was still setting so there was plenty of light left to play a Seeker's game or two. He turned to Scorpius, finally noticing the broom that he had picked out. "_Nimbus 2000?_" he asked with a chuckle.

"Don't laugh," Scorpius blushed. "This is one of my favorite brooms. It's a timeless classic. You can't beat the classics."

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Albus smiled. "Check the inscription on the handle," he said finally releasing the blonde's hand.

Scorpius pulled the tip of the broom's handle closer to his face so he could read the fine script in the dimming light of the sunset. "This broom belongs to: Albus Severus Potter." He blushed at the sound of Albus's full name on his lips, and the fact that he would be riding Albus's broom.

"It was a gift for my fourteenth birthday," Albus smiled. "It is my most prized possession."

"A broom?" Scorpius asked looking down at the ground. He didn't mean to sound dejected; he only wished that Albus would think of him that way.

"I don't consider you a possession, Scorpius," Albus said with that lop-sided grin as he gently grabbed Scorpius's chin and tilted it up so their eyes could meet. His other hand reached up to tuck a strand of stray hair back behind Scorpius's ear, and the blonde could swear he saw the briefest flicker of golden light out of the corner of his eye. "Let's go!" he called as he mounted his broom and kicked off the ground before Scorpius could blink. "The pitch is this way! I'll race you!"

"That's not fair!" Scorpius called with a laugh as he finally registered that Albus was already in the sky. "You've got a head start!" He jumped onto his broom and kicked off.

"I'm in Slytherin, Scorpius! You can't expect me to play fair!" Albus called over his shoulder just in time to have a small cloud of grey smoke hit him in the face. His broom froze in mid-air and Scorpius shot ahead of him. "Scorpius!" Albus called as he tried to force his broom forward.

"Slytherin, Albus! Slytherin," Scorpius called with a laugh. Albus shook his head and laughed with him. After all, how could he stay mad at the blonde? He seemed to be enjoying himself, and the spell would wear off in a few more seconds. He would get Scorpius back then...

**DrarryTLA**

"Ten after six!" Lilly called from the den as she saw her cousin at the top of the stairs. She had seen her brother and Scorpius disappear into the kitchen, figuring that Albus had decided to show the blonde the broom closet and pitch. Hopefully her warning carried through to the two boys.

"Lilly, weren't you tagged?" Ginny asked her only daughter as she carefully held her newest neice to her shoulder and began rubbing gently circles into her back. Ginny had picked up on the odd game her children and their cousins had created. She knew just about every rule after years and years of watching it be played.

"A long time ago," Lilly said with a shrug as she plopped back down into her favorite chair. The rest of the family was still in the dining room for the most part. Angelina had been really tired so Ginny and Lilly had volunteered to take baby Carmen for a while.

"Aren't you supposed to help Rose, then?" Ginny questioned. It was to her understanding that those who were tagged 'out' were not supposed to help those still playing the game.

"Perhaps," Lilly managed to get out before bursting into laughter as her Uncle George walked into the room with purple skin. "Uncle George, that umm... _bright_ shade of purple isn't your color."

"Oh, hush, you," George pouted as he plopped down onto the couch next to his sister. "I never thought I'd see the day when my own son becomes a better trickster than me," he sighed.

"Well, George, it is perfectly natural to feel upset now that-" Ginny started before George laughed.

"Upset?" George exclaimed. "I couldn't be happier! Fred has made me so proud," he said wiping a single tear from his eye. "I told Fred that I couldn't retire from the shoppes until he was finally able to pull one over on me. And now he's done it!"

"And your skin is purple," Lilly pointed out with a nod of approval. "I'd say he got you pretty good."

"Now I just have to figure out how he did it!" George exclaimed with a calculating look in his eyes. When Carmen let out a small hiccup George looked over at his daughter and smiled. "Carmen will help Daddy figure it out, won't you?" he cooed as Ginny allowed her brother to take his daughter. Surprisingly, the baby did not start to cry at the state of her father's skin.

"I guess your children are born used to the unusual," Ginny said with a chuckle.

"But of course," George smiled as he leaned down to gently kiss his daughter's forhead. She was definitely going to take after her mother. A full head of dark hair was already beginning to come in.

The cute moment was ruined few seconds later when Rose walked into the den. "Lilly, have you seen Albus?"

"I can't say that I have," Lilly said with a shrug. "He's never lost, Rose, so I don't know why you keep looking."

"I just want to chat with him," Rose frowned. "It's not like I asked to be 'it'."

"No one asks to be it," Lilly pointed out matter-of-factly.

Rose sent a quick glare at her cousin before stalking off with a huff.

"Albus and the Malfoy boy went outside," George said after Rose was gone.

"I know," Lilly smiled. "But Rose doesn't need to know that." Ginny rolled her eyes at her daughter. Lilly could be quite devious when she wanted to be, and Ginny was quite certain that her youngest child had something planned in order to meddle in Albus and Scorpius's relationship...

**DrarryTLA**

"Looks like I've won again," Scorpius chuckled as he waved the snitch in his hand. He was slightly out of breath, but other than that, he felt incredible. Being able to fly was just what he needed- well almost. What he really _wanted_ was for Albus to come closer, much closer. It was a bit chilly up in the darkening sky. He wanted to feel the warmth of Albus's body close to his own, but he could never say that.

"You are an amazing Seeker," Albus praised as he watched the rapid rise and fall of Scorpius's chest. The blonde was a bit winded, his lips slightly parted to help take in more air. His blonde hair was falling loose of its braid and his pale cheeks were tinted pink from the wind. Scorpius looked totally flushed, like that time in the bathroom. Albus wanted nothing more than to pull the blonde into his arms and never let go, but he could never say that. Scorpius was there so his own selfish urges were not important. He didn't want to scare the blonde away with such feelings of need and want.

"Thank you," Scorpius said with a blush. "I'm fairly certain that after ten losses in a row it is safe to say that your seeking skills are severly lacking," he teased.

"Severely lacking?" Albus repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Lacking, you say?"

"Lacking," Scorpius nodded with a smile.

"Well, let's just see if the eleventh time's the charm," Albus said as he shot forward and grabbed the snitch from the blonde's hand. He threw it high into the air and turned back to Scorpius. "Winner gets the bed!" he exclaimed as he darted off.

Scorpius shot off after him. "Enjoy the cot again!" he called as his silver eyes immediately locked onto the snitch. However, Albus's eyes locked onto the snitch at the exact same moment. Their eyes turned to each other for a split second as the both flew full-speed to get to the snitch. They each stretched a hand forward and...

_**Albus...**_

He beat me again, Albus thought with a chuckle as he stepped out of the shower and picked up his towel. He had allowed Scorpius to take one first in the hopes that a hot shower would make the blonde tired enough to not make fun of him. In all honesty, Albus had no idea how he had lost eleven times in a row. Eleven! The last game had nearly been a tie too. Both of their hands had been about to touch the snitch until Scorpius sprang forward at the last possible moment. However, Albus guessed that it was okay to lose to Scorpius, especially since every victory had led to a huge smile that only _he _got the chance to see. He loved to see Scorpius smile. Perhaps he would lose to the blonde more often...

What other games could they play? Albus asked himself as he shook out his head. He hated having water in his ear. He ran his towel through his hair and then down the rest of his body, as was his usual out-of-the-shower routine, and grabbed his boxers from the pile of clean clothes he had placed on the counter. He whistled an old Muggle tune as he dressed because he had been rather glad that the night had gone as well as it did. The adults of his family had been made aware of Scorpius's situation- Weasely women could not keep a secret if their life depended on it!- and no one had given Scorpius a hard time. They were all very welcoming, with the exception of Rose- who Albus and Scorpius managed to avoid _all _evening. Even Scorpius had seemed to enjoy the quality time, going as far as to hold baby Carmen before dinner. The blonde had a surprisingly well-suited air about him when he held the baby- he had a natural way with children. Albus's younger cousins all loved him.

And so did Albus. For the past few hours, he had been able to catch of glimpse of what life would be like with Scorpius as part of their family, part of _his _family. He could see it now: his Mum and Dad would be throwing a party to welcome their first grandchild, Scorpius holding a small, beautiful bundle in his arms because, surely, they could adopt; Scorpius's parents would be taken on a tour of the manor before sitting down to a large feast prepared by both of their mothers; Albus himself would never leave Scorpius's side for even a moment, wearing the proudest smile he could as he held the blonde and their child clo-

Just as suddenly as the onslaught of happy fantasies appeared, they were shot down by the simple fact that Albus had nearly forgotten: he only had eight months left. There would never be a party to celebrate his son or daughter, and he would not be able to stay by Scorpius's side...

With a heavy heart but a light smile on his face, Albus made his way back into his room. He didn't want Scorpius to see that he was upset if the blonde wasn't already asleep. It had been a busy day. "Goodnight, Scorpius," he whispered softly as he folded down the blanket on his cot. However, at the sound of Scorpius moving on the bed, he turned around. "What are you doing?" he asked with a chuckle.

Scorpius, who had his back to Albus, had scooted over on the bed and left enough room for Albus to climb in if he wanted to. "We tied," was all the answer he gave as he waited for Albus to accept or decline his offered compromise.

A few seconds later Scorpius felt the bed dip down as Albus climbed in behind him. The warmth of the other's body immediately made his cheeks heat up as their bodies were pressed together beneath the blanket. "Goodnight, Scorpius," Albus whispered into his ear. Scorpius felt his body lightly shudder at the voice pressed so close to his ear, and it took him a moment to reply.

"Goodnight, Albus."


	8. Chapter Seven: Of Bed and Breakfast

**Disclaimer:** This is a non-profit fiction created from my own mind. J.K. Rowling developed **all **of the original _Harry Potter _characters and I simply added a few OCs. Ages and dates may also be different from Rowling's original work... Please enjoy!

Not proof-read! :D

**NOTE**: I have no excuses for being so slow, lazy, horrible, and slow. I'm sure you guys are tired of my excuses anyway, so I'll stop wasting your time with my inadequacies- well, except for this small note!- and I'll get on with the story instead!

WARNING: This chapter will jump between POVs quite frequently, so be prepared to pay attention and breaks in action. :D AND this chapter will be shorter than the previous ones. Sorry.

_**Broken Glasses: Chapter 7**_

_**Scorpius... **_

The first thing Scorpius noticed when he opened eyes just an hour after falling asleep was that his entire being was surrounded entirely by his bedmate. Albus's scent permeated his senses all the way from the warm body lying next to him to the cool bedding beneath him. The other male's scent was even on his own skin- he could feel it. In fact, Scorpius could feel _everything._ He felt the outline of each finely tuned muscle pressed firmly against his back, the intoxicating heat coming off of Albus in waves that made Scorpius's body begin trembling, and the exhilarating puffs of breath caressing the nape of his neck. He felt his eyelids flutter closed as an incredibly hot arm snaked its way around his waist, pulling him closer to Albus.

"I know you're awake, Scorpius," Albus whispered huskily into the blonde's ear. Scorpius felt the shiver start at his toes and run all the up his spine, surely Albus could too. His best response was a stutter and then a small squeak as Albus's hand slipped beneath his night shirt, settling itself on his stomach. He heard Albus chuckle behind him and felt his eyes begin to flutter closed again as the searing heat from Albus's palm on his skin quickly spread down his body and then up to his heart, then to his cheeks, turning them a bright shade of pink. Desire Scorpius had never felt before suddenly flooded his senses, drowning any logic and all doubts that this entire situation was merely the result of his medicines.

What was happening to him? He had never felt such an intense eat before; it was beginning to set fires in his veins, his heart, his lower body. He was even starting to feel slightly light-headed. And when he felt Albus's hand slide just the tiniest bit downward, he placed a shaky hand over the other's and carefully turned his embrace.

_**Albus...**_

Albus could not begin to describe the onslaught of emotions he was feeling at that moment in time. His heart was beginning to beat faster and faster, a ball of hot desire forming deep inside of him. The feel of Scorpius's pale skin warming beneath his hand, the gentle shivers he felt running through the blonde's body... Every fiber of his being was completely consumed by the blonde before him, the blonde who had just turned over to lay on his back, his hand atop Albus's own.

"A-Albus...?" Scorpius asked barely above a whisper as his darkening silver eyes locked on to his in the darkness. He had obviously never felt this way before, and his eyes pleaded with Albus to help him understand.

Albus nearly lost it. "Me too," was the only response Albus's fuzzying mind could muster as he slowly lowered his lips over Scorpius's own, unable to resist the pull any longer.

The moment their lips connected Albus felt millions of little starts explode behind his closed eyelids as a pleasure he would never be able to put into words spread throughout his whole body like a tidal wave crashing on the shore. The intensity of it all nearly crushed him. He could only hope that Scorpius felt the same way as he carefully reached up to caress the blonde's cheek, pulling their lips closer.

_**Scorpius...**_

Scorpius felt himself turn to putty in Albus's arms as the heat from the kiss and from the body above him made his entire being melt. He felt as if thousands of tiny butterflies were settling in his stomach and he knew that after that moment, he could never feel alone again. He could never feel sad, or unloved. With that first meeting of lips, Scorpius felt as if his entire world had been tilted on its axis. Every painful memory he had endured over the years began to slowly fade away, his mind filling itself with visions of Albus and Albus alone.

The gentle feel of Albus's hand on his cheek made him feel as if he were the very center of Albus's universe; and he knew deep down that Albus would be, from that moment on, the center of his own.

His hands began moving on their own as the kiss deepened, his desire growing, and strange sounds began coming from a place within him he had never known existed.

**DrarryTLA**

Albus would proceed to gently caress every inch of pale skin he uncovered as the night progressed, Scorpius allowing him to see every scar and his most intimate places without the aid of magic to hide them. The blonde had never before allowed someone that close to him, and Albus returned the favor in kind, the two entwining passionately as the world around them turned into nothing more than a past memory. All that mattered were those precious moments as the two took time to personally know just how strongly they felt for each other. Neither believed that this moment had come upon them suddenly; it did not matter to either of them that their feelings were still young, and perhaps a bit naive. They had everything they would ever need: each other.

Completely sated and entertwined, the two fell asleep to whispered promises of "I love you."

Everything was right with the world until Lilly threw open the bedroom door and yelled at the two to wake up the next morning,. She slammed the door shut just as suddenly as it had been opened, singing loudly as she went.

Scorpius jumped up in bed, immediately realizing that Albus's arms were not around him as they had been, and he was fully dressed in every garment he had gone to sleep in the night before. In fact, Albus was sprawled out on the cot, his back to Scorpius and the bed, his sleep uninterrupted by Lilly's outburst. Scorpius felt all the air in lungs escape him. _A dream? _he asked himself internally, the pain overwhelming. It had all been too real. "Albus?"

_**Albus... **_

"Albus?" Scorpius called, his voice slightly hoarse.

Albus felt his heart immediately begin racing, every one of his senses focusing on Scorpius. He took a breath and turned around with his usual smile. He couldn't let Scorpius know that anything was wrong. "Morning, Scorpius."

"You're on the cot..." Scorpius pointed out sounding dejected, but perhaps it was the after-effect of Albus's dream that the blonde appear that way.

"Yeah," Albus chuckled, he ran a nervous hand through his unruly, bedridden hair, "I needed a glass of water last night, and when I got back, you looked so comfortable that I couldn't wake you to get back in." Which was not entirely untrue. He _had _needed a glass of water, but it was just about an hour ago after his trip to... um, the bathroom. His dream had been intense enough to partially carry over into his wakefulness, and he had never _ever_ felt that strongly after a dream.

It had been a complete shock to him when he woke up earlier that morning to find himself in such an aroused state, the desire to kiss the real Scorpius almost winning over his conscience which told him it would be wrong to take advantage of the smaller male in his sleep. Albus would have hated himself, and he dared not even think what might happen if Scorpius had grown to hate him too.

_**Scorpius...**_

Scorpius watched Albus stretch, unwilling to believe that his dream had been just that, a dream. It seemed to him that he could still feel Albus's caresses even beneath his pajamas. He reached up to lightly touch his lips when Albus wasn't looking. They were warm, the slightest reminder of a kiss still lingering on them. "I'm sorry... you, um, had to sleep on the cot," he said absently. He fell back onto the bed, pulling the covers over his head. He kept replaying the dream over and over in his head, as if his mind was purposefully trying to tease him with its creativity.

"Are you alright?" Albus asked suddenly as the blanket was lifted just enough for Albus to see Scorpius's fiery cheeks. The dark-haired male chuckled.

"F-fine," Scorpius stuttered as he tore his eyes away from the emerald orbs staring down at him. "J-just a strange dream."

"I understand," Albus smiled with more truth than Scorpius would believe. He gently dropped the blanket back over the blonde's face before the urge to kiss those lips over-powered his self-control. "I'll go see what Mum's cooked up for breakfast."

**DrarryTLA**

"Harry, don't forget what we talked about yesterday," Ginny reminded her husband as she stirred a large pan of eggs.

"When have I ever forgotten something you've told me?" Harry asked over his copy of the _Daily Prophet. _

"Well, Dad," Lilly began around a mouth full of pumpkin juice, "if I recall correctly, you forget to pick up Aunt Hermione's birthday present from the tailor, the wedding present for Teddy and Victoire, the milk, the-"

"Alright, dear, that's enough," Harry said with a laugh as he tossed a sugar cube at his only daughter. "Mum had probably forgotten all of that, best not to bring up any more."

"I have an excellent memory, dear," Ginny called over her shoulder as she added a dash of salt and pepper to the eggs. "But you're right, best not bring up the rest," she teased. Lilly giggled and Harry went back to reading his paper.

"Mum, what's for breakfast?" James, Teddy, and Albus asked as they each came into the kitchen from a different door. They laughed.

"Good morning, boys," Ginny giggled. They each walked over to give her their customary, good morning kiss on the cheek before fixing themselves their favorite morning drinks: James drank a glass of milk every morning while Teddy went straight to the coffee pot, and Albus preferred orange juice with a dash of pumpkin juice. "I'm making up some eggs, sausage, toast with jam, and some fresh strawberries."

"I'm starving," Teddy exclaimed as he plopped down next to Harry. He added one lump of sugar to his otherwise black coffee, taking a small sip to test the temperature.

"Where are _you_ going?" Lilly asked with a smirk as James sat next to her and Albus started to leave with two glasses in tow.

"I'm going to get Scorpius," Albus called over his shoulder. "We'll be right down."

Once Albus was a safe distance away, Lilly clapped her hands together, silencing the room. "Alright, ten sickles says Albus feeds Scorpius at least one strawberry."

"Lilly, that's ridiculous," James said with a laugh, finishing his milk. "Two strawberries and he pulls out his chair."

"Child's play," Teddy said cockily. "Fifteen sickles, and he'll fix his whole plate."

"You lot are ridiculous," Harry said finally folding his newspaper up. "We shouldn't be betting on matters of the heart." He reached down beneath the table, pulling his wallet from the pocket of Muggle jeans. "Five galleons," he offered dropping the desired amount onto the table.

"Ten," Ginny said matter-of-factly as she levitated large plates of eggs, toasts, sausages, jams, and freshly cut strawberries. James and Lilly laughed. "Chair, strawberries, and... by the end of breakfast, Albus will have touched Scorpius's hand at least twice if they do not end up holding hands beneath the table by then." She laid the dishes carefully on the table . "Have your galleons ready, dear," she cooed to Harry as she took her place next to her husband.

"They always are," Harry said leaning over to plant a quick kiss to his wife's cheek.

Albus and Scorpius walked in a few seconds later, taking the two empty seats between Lilly and James. "Good morning, Scorpius," Ginny smiled.

"Good morning," he said softly. He gently accepted the seat Albus pulled out for him. James smiled and reached for the five galleons on the table. Lilly gently popped his hand, waving her finger in reprimand.

Albus, however, caught the interaction. "What's going on with you two?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. As they all started fixing their plates, he grabbed Scorpius's and then his own. He put a generous amount of eggs and toast on each.

"Just a small wager," Teddy said reaching for the galleons himself.

"A wager?" Scorpius asked with a blush as Albus set his plate down before him.

"Our family is notorious for nonsense," Albus teased as he picked up a spoon for some jam. "What was it this time? Louis finally tell us who his new beau is?" Their part-Veela cousin was definitely the more promiscuous Weasely in the family. He went through bachelors like Victoire and Dominique went through the latest Wizarding world gossip. "Oh! Or did Uncle Ron finally tell Aunt Hermione about 'misplacing' her copy of _Hogwarts: A History_?"

"Something like that," Lilly snickered as the table watched Scorpius and Albus both reach for the jar of blueberry jam. The blond blushed when their hands touched, pulling his back as if it had been burned. His cheeks immediately lit up with a blush. "S-sorry."

"It's alright," Albus smiled. He handed the jar over to Scorpius. "You first." As if on cue, Scorpius reached out for the jar, their hands touching once again- this time for a brief moment longer.

Ginny smiled around the table at her family- besides Albus who was too wrapped up in Scorpius to notice- and simply held up two fingers. However, they would not give up. They still had the rest of breakfast to get through before Ginny could claim her winnings.

As the meal progressed, Teddy and James got into a heated debate on whether or not the Chudley Canons' Seeker, Flad O'Donovan, to have a line of professional brooms named after him. (If only their Uncle Ron could be there...) Ginny, Harry, and Lilly talked about their plans for later on that day, trying to incorporate Scorpius and Albus. The blonde was definitely more talkative than he had been the night before at dinner, but something else seemed different about him. And Lilly, being the amazing little sister she was, intended to find out what.

"Scorpius, how did you sleep?" she asked.

The blonde's silver eyes widened for the briefest of moments before he avoided everyone's gaze altogether. "F-fine," he squeaked.

Intersting, Lilly thought. "How about you, Albus?" she asked next eyeing her brother for any reaction similar to Scorpius's.

"Best sleep I've had in a long time," Albus answered without missing a beat. He looked at his sister, sizing her up. She was acting oddly this morning... "Should I have had a experienced anything new while I slept?"

"No, I was just curious," Lilly smiled, her eyes sparkling and innocent. Albus could tell that she was up to something. Hmmm... But what could it be?

In fact, his entire family seemed to be acting weird lately. Did they know something that he didn't? But then, he figured he would worry about that later. Right now, he couldn't help but notice the way Scorpius's cheeks had grown redder and redder as Lilly asked about the night before. Vivid images leftover from his dreams helped Albus create a few intersting scenarios that might make the blonde's cheeks that exact same shade- which he immediately deemed an inappropriate fantasy to be having at the breakfast table. "Man, I'm stuffed!" he said changing the subject before Lilly could question him further. The sooner he could stop thinking of his dream, the better. "Scorpius, I'm going to go do a few training laps around the pitch if you feel up to joining me." He stood, grabbing his plate to take over to the sink.

"I think I am," Scorpius smiled. A few laps around the pitch might help him clear his own thoughts about the dream from the night before. He stood and followed Albus to the sink.

"When you boys are done," Harry started before they could leave, "I was wondering if we might have a chat, Scorpius?"

The blonde smiled. "Yes, sir," he answered. Albus, however, was the only one to notice the slight nervous waiver in his voice. He reached out for the blonde's hand, as if it was second nature to him. "We'll be back shortly," he smiled.

When the boys were gone, Ginny sat back in her chair, a smug look on her face. "As I said, holding hands." She kissed her husband's cheek. "And that is how it's done, dear." She stood to start clearing dishes. "I'll collect my galleons after I've finished cleaning the kitchen."


End file.
